The Little Pup That Could - Book 1: The Endurance of Hope
by kristelrose
Summary: The PAw Patrol always save the day. There is no mission they've failed. No job is too big, no pup is too small after all. It looks like their slogan might not stand when they come across a pup who seems beyond helping. How much can the PAW Patrol and their new friend Amber go through before giving up hope? (I don't own PAW Patrol)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A New Life**

Everyone knows that dogs are very special animals for many reasons. For one thing, they are absolutely adorable, especially as puppies. Who doesn't like cute things? For another, they are very smart and pick things up very quickly. They can be taught to perform special tasks and understand a wide range of commands. All over the world pups are esteemed for their help and loved for their loyalty. In one specific town, one of the most sought out groups in times of emergency is the PAW Patrol, a pack of extra intelligent rescue pups. Lead by their gifted human leader Ryder, the team of seven pups dedicates their time to the safety of their beloved town Adventure Bay and the surrounding area.

The pups could do everything from rescue kittens form trees to deep cave rescues and even daring volcanic ventures. One mission, however, proved to be quite a challenge for the team and it all started when they met a little pup named Amber…

One early summer, just up the coast from Adventure Bay, a young litter of four golden retriever pups was finally ready to be independent of their mother and given homes of their own. The pups were anxious that day, in good and bad ways. They didn't like the fact that they would be separated from each other and their mother but they knew that they wouldn't be too far from each other and still get to meet up at the dog park or on walks around the neighbor hoods. The thing that concerned them the most was their sister Amber. Although for the first two weeks after they were born the pups could not even open their eyes, when the time came that each of them could use their eyes for the first time, Amber still seemed to have some trouble. They knew she could see well enough to make her way around their doghouse and the yard when it was light outside, but as soon as it began to get dark, one of her sisters had to lead her around, walking by her side at all times.

The four sisters loved each other very much and never wanted any harm to come to either of their siblings. Now came the fateful day when the pups would be on their own with a new human family not knowing how life would be for them. To ensure that Amber would be given a good loving place to live, the sisters and their mother planned to make sure Amber looked just as desirable as any normal retriever pup. One at a time, people would come to the yard and check out the pups. Whenever someone especially nice came around, the pups would all go hide behind their mother and leave Amber out in the open sitting in her cutest pose. Unfortunately, something would always happen that would disinterest the person in her or make them pick one of her sisters instead. One little boy tried tossing a ring toy to Amber. Amber tried her best to follow the ring's path through the air, but as soon as it fell onto the grass, she lost it. Her sister Pearl tried to help by picking up the toy and bringing it over to her, but that just made the little boy take Pearl away. Slowly, each of Amber's sisters was picked out. Leaving her for last. In one way, this made Amber the only option, but as soon as her current human owner told the viewers that Amber was pretty much blind, the prospective families just turned her down. This made Amber feel like she was never going to find anyone who would love her the way her mom and sisters did. And worse of all, her current human owner said he was no longer able to take care of pets. He was just getting too old. He was even planning to give her mom away tomorrow. That night, Amber fell asleep cuddling close to her mom and sobbing silently.

The next day, Amber woke up to find her mother's warmth faded from her body. She was gone. She must have tried to wake her to say good-bye, but Amber must have tuckered herself out so much from crying that she didn't hear her mom leave. A bowl of puppy food and some water was left by the doghouse door for Amber. After she crunched a few bites and drank a bit, she gave her best squint and search the yard for any signs of animal or human life. It was quiet. She went around the side of the house all the way to the edge of the fence to take a good look at the front of the house. The owner's car wasn't in the driveway. Could he have left her for good? That food and water was probably the last she would ever get from him. But, surely he had to come back. This was his house after all. It probably wasn't going to be hers for much longer, though. No one wants to deal with a pup that can't do all the things that normal pups are supposed to do. _Plus, he said he was getting to old for pups_ , she thought.

Amber was so upset by what she had just figured out. All she could do was sit by the fence and whimper quietly. Just a few moments later, the poodle pup from next door scampered over to where their two fences met and called out from behind her.

"Hey Amber, where'd everyone go?"

"They all left," sniffed Amber.

"Oh, when are they coming back? I wanted to show you all something."

"They're not coming back, Blizzard," she said turning to meet the poodle's gaze through the chain link fence. "They all have new homes now."

"Oh, is that what was going on? That's too bad," he said frowning for only a second. "At least you'll still be here. I can still show you this cool-"

"No, Blizzard, I'm not staying here either."

"Then why do you look so sad about it. You're new home will probably be somewhere even cooler-"

"You don't get it! No one wants me, not even the human that lives here. He said he wasn't going to take care of dogs anymore. That means I'm all alone!"

"Oh… wow… I'm so sorry, Amber…" This time Blizzard had a bit more understanding in his voice and his ever-present smile had faded from his scruffy white face. Then the sparkle in his eyes returned suddenly with a flash. "I've got it! You can live with me! I still want you, Amber."

"Maybe, but what if your human finds me, she'll just bring me back here and then my human will get rid of me... He'd probably take me to a shelter and then when no one wants me there, they'll… they'll…"

"Then she doesn't have to find you! I found a nice box that my owner was going to throw away, but when she saw me playing with it, she thought it was so cute that she let me keep it. I know it's not as nice as your doghouse, but if your owner is really done with dogs, as you say, then he'll probably get rid of that too. I would let you stay in my doghouse, but then my human would surely find you."

The plan sounded better than ending up at the animal shelter, but there were a few things that concerned Amber. For one, she wasn't too fond of the idea of hiding in a cardboard box most of the day while Blizzard's human was around. And, for another thing, she didn't know of any way she could get over to his yard.

"And don't worry about the food; I've got this fancy food dispenser that I just learned how to work. My owner doesn't know yet, and I plan to keep it that way. Anyway, I can just go fill your bowl up when she's not looking."

Amber thought hard. "O-okay, fine, I'll come live with you, but how do I get over there?"

"That's what I've been trying to show you! There's a loose part of the fence near the back corner over there," he said gesturing. "There's already a dip in the ground over there, but with a bit of digging, I can make easier for you to crawl under!"

The two pups agreed on the plan and went their separate ways. Blizzard went to fix up the cardboard box and dig a deeper whole by the fence. Amber went to collect her bowls and puppy toys. When Amber made it back to her doghouse, after tripping on a tree root or two, she finished her half-eaten breakfast and lapped up the rest of her water. She stacked the bowls one inside the other and went on a search for her blue teddy bear. Out of all the toys they were given, Amber really loved that bear. Its light blue color made it easy to see in the green grass and she loved snuggling with it. She quickly glanced around and spotted something of a similar color resting up against the side of the doghouse. When she went over to pick it up, she noticed it was actually her sister Goldie's squeaky ball. Seeing it made Amber remember the hurt that she felt in her heart right where she kept the love she had for her mom and sisters. She missed them so much. And now, she probably would never see them again since no one would ever take her on walks or bring them over to play. No one would know where she was.

After Amber let a few tears sprinkle the grass at her feet, she shook the feeling off and went back to her mission of finding her bear. She walked behind the doghouse to the spot by the tree where she had been playing the other night and found her light blue bear waiting for her. She pounced on it and smothered it in hugs.

"At least I still have you, Little Blue." She picked the bear up in her mouth and gently placed it inside the stacked bowls. "We're going to be living somewhere else from now on. It might not be as nice as this home, but I'm sure you'll like it. Plus, we'll have Blizzard to help us out and to play with."

By the back corner of the fence, Amber could here Blizzards tags jingling as he rapidly scratched at the earth. "Hey, Amber!" exclaimed Blizzard panting. "I've almost got your escape route ready!"

"Thanks for all your help, Blizzard. Little Bl- I- I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he said continuing to dig. "Almost there… Got it!" Blizzard popped out from under the fence into Amber's yard.

"Wow, you're fast!"

"Yeah! You should see me run when it's bath time!" The two pups laughed. "Speaking of which, I think I heard my owner say that I wasn't looking very clean and that I would need a bath soon. I think she might give it to me today, especially after all this digging I've been doing," he said with a chuckle showing off his browning fur.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Blizzard."

"It's okay. I did this to help you out. Getting a bath is worth it!" He turned and gestured toward the newly dug path. "Here, I'll help you through. Just step this way," he tapped the grass nearest to the widest crawling space. "Now, I'll just lift the fence a little. Ooh, watch your step. There's a big rock right there." Finally, Amber was on the other side, her old life behind her and her new one in front. Blizzard carried her bowls and bear through and tossed them next to her.

"Come on! I'll show you your new house."

Amber picked up her things and followed him to a large cardboard box that was turned on its side. It was a tall box, so on its side it gave Amber plenty of space to in which to hide. Even better, the flap that hung from the "roof" down almost reached to the "floor" making it an extra awesome hideaway.

"Look," said Blizzard eagerly. "It's right next to my house. We're like neighbors… Well, you know, even closer neighbors," he giggled.

"Thank you so much, Blizzard," said Amber putting her things into the box and hugging her friend.

"No problem! And now, I'll have a pup to play with. Come on! I just found a new toy and my owner said she wouldn't be back until my dinnertime. We have the whole day to play!" Blizzard scampered away quickly and came back with a long, spiraled rubber tube.

"Isn't that a water hose?" asked Amber tentatively.

"Well, yeah, but I'm sure my owner doesn't need it. She already has a perfectly good one over there. This one's probably a random old one."

"Well, if you say so."

The two pups tugged and pulled and rolled around until the sun was high in the sky. Becoming thirsty, the two shared a drink from Blizzard's water bowl by the back door of the house. After sitting a bit in the shade the pups heard a car pull up and the familiar sound of the metal door opening and closing. The pups didn't wait to hear the keys jingling before dashing to their respective houses.

"Just hang tight in there. I'll be around to get your food bowl when my owner lets me in for dinner," said Blizzard reassuringly before springing into his doghouse right beside her.

There was a few minutes of silence and then the pups heard Blizzard's human come through the back door of the house. Then they heard something they weren't expecting. There was a gasp and then an angry, "Blizzard come out here, please!"

"Uh oh," Amber heard Blizzard say quietly. "Yes?" he questioned as Amber heard his paws slowly patting the grass in the direction of the house.

"What were you doing with my new water hose, Blizzard? First, you chew my old one up and I have to buy a new one to replace it. And then, you chew that one up too? I am not happy, Blizzard. You know better than that."

"I'm sorry, Rachel. I didn't realize this was the new one," said Blizzard with a whimper.

"I'm going to have to punish you for this. You know that, right?"

"Yes Ma'am," sighed Blizzard, his head low to the ground.

"You're going to have to stay tied to your doghouse with no toys for the rest of the day. I'll be bringing your dinner out to you later." With that, she walked Blizzard back to his doghouse and hooked his collar up to the chain that lay by the side near Amber's box.

"Blizzard?" came Rachel's voice close to where Amber was sitting in the box. "Did you dig that whole?" Amber shivered at hearing her so close, but she tried not to rattle the cardboard.

"W- Well…"

"Tell me the truth," she said sternly.

"It was me," came his gloomy response.

"No wonder you're so filthy. You're getting a bath right after dinner and then you're staying inside where I can watch you."

"But… But…"

"That's enough from you. I don't know why you're behaving this way." Rachel turned and walked back into the house muttering something to herself.

After a while, Amber spoke up hesitantly. "B- Blizzard?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he sighed trying not to sound too disappointed.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. It's all my fault."

"No it's not. It's mine. The hole, the hose, those were all my idea. And like I said, it's worth it to be able to help you." He paused for a moment and gave a small gasp. "Oh no…"

"What is it?"

"If I'm tied down here, I won't be able to bring you any food."

"Oh… T-that's alright. I'm sure you'll be able to tomorrow."

"Except if I get stuck inside all day tomorrow."

"Oh…"

"Wait, I've got it! I'll just dump half of the food I get into your bowl and then eat the rest so Rachel doesn't suspect anything. I don't know what I'm going to do about tomorrow, but I'll figure it out. You know I always have a plan!" he finished triumphantly.

"Well, okay, if it's alright with you." For the remaining afternoon hours, the two pups dozed in the warmth of the summer sun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: An Unexpected Trip**

4 o'clock rolled around and Rachel came out into the back yard holding a bowl of puppy kibble. The sound of the kibble bumping up against the metal bowl had both pups jumping awake.

"Blizzard, time for dinner." The stern look in her face had disappeared almost completely, but she was still pretty serious. She placed the bowl in front of him and walked back toward the house. "I'll be back to give you a bath in a bit."

Blizzard wasted no time. As soon as the door closed behind Rachel, he met an eagerly waiting Amber at the flap of her box. The two pups managed to measure out half into Amber's bowl and eat up all the kibble before Rachel returned, shampoo and water bucket in hand.

"Wow, that was fast, Blizzard. You must have worked up quite an appetite chewing on that hose this morning. Blizzards response was a nervous laugh. "Well, its shower t-"

"Wait, I… need to drink water first." He ran over to his water bowl slurped up the water until the bowl was dry.

"Are you ready now?"

"Um… well… after drinking all that water, I've gotta go."

"Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere. You're getting in that kiddy pool weather you like it or not."

"No, no, I mean I have to, you know, gooo," he emphasized.

"Oh, I get it. Alright, but don't go taking your sweet time."

"Hey, you can't rush these things, Rachel."

Amber almost laughed aloud. It took everything in her to keep quiet and hidden. Blizzard really didn't like taking a bath. When he finally ran out of excuses and remembered who he was taking this bath for, he calmed down and let Rachel dump the first load of cold water on his dirty, curly fur. He tried his absolute best to stay still and cooperate. Rachel even congratulated him on his best bath yet. All the while, he took every opportunity to take a glance at Amber's box from which Amber was peeking out from behind the flap. She couldn't see much of what was happening, but she thought she could see Blizzard looking at her too.

 _If only she could see how sorry I am that I won't be able to sleep out her with her tonight,_ he thought. _The poor pup has never slept alone before. And, I'm not even sure if I'll be able to get her any food tomorrow._

"Blizzard, I know you don't like baths but you don't have to have such a long face the whole time. You know you love that clean feeling that comes after all your fur dries." Rachel didn't understand what was really going through the pups head.

When Blizzard was all shampooed, rinsed, and dried up by the sun, Rachel cleaned up the bathing station and took everything inside, including Blizzard. He gave one last look at the box with a promise in his heart that he would help Amber however he could.

* * *

Groggily waking up from a second nap, Amber uncurled herself and stretched with Little Blue leaning on her side. After a long yawn, Amber thought she heard muffled voices coming from the house. One was Rachel's and the other was of an older man. After a few seconds, Amber noticed it to be the voice of her previous owner. What was he doing here? Did he come looking for her? Wouldn't he be happy that she was gone? While Amber was pondering on this, the back door swung open and he and Rachel stepped into the yard now bathed in the orange glow of sunset.

"I'm so sorry you haven't been able to find her. You've only been back for an hour or so. I'm sure she'll turn up soon," said Rachel. Amber assumed they were talking about her.

"You could be right. I'm just scared that with that problem she has, she might not be able to find her way home if she escaped," came her old owner's worried voice. "I hope that if she's definitely not in my yard that someone has the heart to bring her to the shelter. I know a nice girl who volunteers there sometimes who would take good care of her."

 _Yeah, right. And even if she is nice, she only volunteer's there and wouldn't be there all the time. I never want to go to a shelter._ Amber growled in her head.

"I hope she turns up soon. In the meantime, you said you were looking for a box to pack up that old doghouse in?"

"Yes, it doesn't have to be too new or anything, just something I can store it in until my nephew comes to pick it up," explained Amber's old owner.

"Well, why don't you check out this one right over here," Rachel said walking over to Amber's box and tilting it. Amber, her two bowls, and Little Blue tilted with it. Amber couldn't help but give a scared squeak as her bowls came sliding toward her.

"What was that?" asked the old man.

"Oh, Blizzard likes playing in this box a lot. He must have left some of his toys in it. I'll take them out for you." Amber's heart stopped.

"No, no, that's alright. Looking at it a little closer, the box doesn't seem to be big enough. Thank you very much for helping me, though." Rachel let the box fall back to its side, jostling its contents once more. Amber shook herself and gave a sigh of relief as the two humans walked back inside. Amber could hear them talking, but they weren't close to the door anymore and it all sounded muffled. They were probably saying something about how no one would actually want a pup like her and that maybe it was better if she remained lost. At least that's what Amber thought.

On the contrary, they were concerned for her and hoping that she had found somewhere safe to sleep. The weather forecast was showing that there would be a great deal of rain that night. Rachel was thankful that she had decided to have Blizzard sleep indoors that night.

The sun sank behind the trees and houses, and Amber began to her the tiny thuds of raindrops hitting the top and sides of her box. She tried her best to bring all the flaps in tight so that rain wouldn't get in. Then, all she could do was curl up with Little Blue and hope that the cardboard didn't get too wet. The storm raged on, and as the thunder grew louder and louder, so did Ambers whimpering. She was not used to sleeping all alone and she couldn't remember the last time there was a storm this bad since she was born. It was a very long rough night.

* * *

Amber awoke to the sound of birds chirping and Rachel letting Blizzard out for a quick break outside. After doing his business, the first thing he did was check on Amber.

"Hey Amber, how are you?" he whispered.

"A little tired," she yawned.

"I'm sorry you had to sleep out here last night. It must have been pretty rough."

"Yeah, just a little," she said trying not to worry him too much. She rolled over from her side to her stomach to get a better view of Blizzard.

"Blizzard, get away from that box. No toys today, remember?' came Rachel's voice from the door.

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming. I- I just thought I heard a baby bird in here," he yelled in her direction. Then, turning back to Amber he whispered, "I'm going to keep trying to figure out how to unlock the back doggy door. Then I can bring you some food. I almost got it yesterday. See you later." Blizzard then turned and ran into the house with the door closing behind him.

Amber was so thankful for her friend's efforts. Everything he was doing for her was getting him into trouble, but he still continued to think of ways to help her even if it meant getting in trouble again. Her thankful thoughts were soon interrupted by a grumbling tummy. She tried to ignore it by watching a ladybug crawl in the grass right outside her box, but then it flew away. Next, she tried drawing pictures in the cardboard by scratching it with one of her nails, but there wasn't enough light coming through the flaps for her to see what she was doing. Minutes felt so much longer until suddenly the back door of the house opened again. It was Blizzard, Rachel, and her old owner again. Blizzard did his thing and then went to talk with Amber while the humans were distracted talking.

"Hey Amber!" whispered Blizzard excitedly.

"Hey," she replied. "Why is _he_ here?" she asked pointedly.

"Oh, he says he's been out all day putting up posters and searching for you."

"Please don't let them know I'm here," pleaded Amber. "You know what will happen to me if he takes me.

"But Amber, I don't-"

"Blizzard, in," commanded Rachel.

"I'll talk to you later," said Blizzard to Amber before leaving. She wondered what he was trying to tell her. Did he already tell Rachel and the old man? He couldn't have. If he did, then they would have at least brought out some food for her. Unless… they didn't care about her anymore. They just wanted to sell her for the money. How mean!

By evening, Amber was starving. She assumed that instead of taking him out to the yard, his owner took Blizzard out for a walk. That meant she wouldn't see him until tomorrow. Hopefully Rachel would think he was punished enough and let him stay outside. With that hopeful thought in her mind to distract her from hunger, Amber snuggled close to Little Blue and tried to sleep. A few frustrating minutes she finally fell into an uneasy rest. At one point, she was so deep in sleep that she didn't hear the back door open. She also didn't realize that a strange human was talking, one she had never met before. Rachel's father had come to visit. He walked over to the side of the house and set down a large stack of bricks he was rolling in a wagon.

"Thanks for helping me bring those in, Dad. I've really been wanting to replace that old fence. Blizzard keeps digging holes by the edge of it, and I'm just afraid he'll get out one of these days."

"No problem, sweetie. I'm always willing to come over and help you out. Just because you live on your own now doesn't mean that you have to do everything by yourself. Family will always be there."

"Yeah, Dad, I know." The two shared a hug. Then, Rachel's dad's attention was taken by the big cardboard box that lay by the side of Blizzard's doghouse and the punctured hoses lying in a jumble.

"Speaking of helping out, I guess you might need more help than I thought. I know you were never one to have a messy bedroom, but I guess a backyard might be different. Why do you have an old box decorating the middle of your lawn?"

"Oh, that thing? Blizzard really enjoyed playing with it, so I just let him keep it. I guess it does look bad, huh? I've been meaning to get rid of it."

"Why don't you go wash up for dinner, and I'll take care of the box and the hoses for you."

"Thanks, Dad. Just put them in the recycling bin. Oh, and don't forget to check for Blizzard's toys in there. He will never forgive me if I threw those away."

"Yeah, sure, no problem," he said walking over to the box with a sleeping Amber inside. As helpful as he was, Rachel's dad was not always the most thorough when it came to finding things. His version of checking for Blizzard's toys was sticking his hand into the box half way, finding Amber's bowls, leaving them by the back door, and carrying the trash over to the recycling bin by the side of the road.

Amber was sleeping so close to the back corner of the box that she barely made a thud when the box was tipped on its bottom. Rachel's dad didn't even pay attention to the weight of the box. Amber didn't weigh that much and Rachel's dad reasoned that the recent rainfall had caused the box to swell with water. This conjecture wasn't completely false.

Amber finally woke up when she felt like the whole earth had flipped on her. For a minute, all she could understand was how confused she was. Then, she realized that the floor and ceiling of her box were now walls and that it was pitch black. She couldn't even see the light that usually shined from the house's back door. What happened?

"It'll be alright, Little Blue. This is all part of Blizzard's plan. We must have just slept through most of it. It is kinda scary in here though." Amber began to whimper softly. "I wonder when we'll be able to get out."

Almost an hour had passed and Amber's eyelids burned slightly and were slipping closed against Amber's will. She was trying as hard as she could to stay awake. Even though it was so dark in the box, closing her eyes made it feel like she wouldn't be ready if anything happened. Lack of food and lack of proper sleep made Amber lose the fight against her tired eyes and once again, Amber nodded off tightly hugging Little Blue.

The next morning, the waste management truck came along Rachel's neighborhood shocking Amber awake when its loud engine sounded right by Rachel's driveway.

"Oh no, I must have fallen asleep again, Little Blue. It must be morning already. I think I hear the garbage truck." All of a sudden, the box lifted from the ground. Amber held her breath and hoped in her heart that this was still part of Blizzard's plan. She then heard the sounds of lots of plastic, metal, and paper things falling on top of each other. Amber held her breath. Was she being dumped with the garbage? The box stopped moving for a moment and then felt like it was moving horizontally bumping up and down slightly. Was she _in_ the garbage truck?

"This can't be part of Blizzard's plan. Can it? He didn't tell me what I'm supposed to do or where and when I'm supposed to get out of here."

The truck stopped a few more times and Amber's anxiety grew with each pick up. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and began to cry and scratch at the box in any place possible in an attempt to free herself. She barked and growled and whined, and when she thought that no one could hear her, the garbage around her seemed to shift in a different way. The clatter and banging of recyclables became quieter and the sound of rolling water and sea gulls became more audible. The flaps of her box were pried open and the bright midmorning sun flooded the dark corners of Amber's makeshift home. Once Amber could open her eyes enough to squint at who her rescuer was, she could only make out the silhouette of a male human figure.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: In Deep Water**

"Len, get over here. I told you I heard something back here!" said the man who stood in front of Amber's open box.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," said another voice farther away. "What is it? A raccoon or something. It better not be a skunk, Jarryd."

"No. I promise. Come see."

"Oh my goodness! It's a little pup."

"Yeah, isn't it adorable? Good thing I heard it. One more load and this box would've given way to the weight of the trash and crushed the poor thing."

"Yeah… So, what are we going to do with it? We've still got a few more stops to make, and I don't think our truck is the best place for a pup."

"Hmmm… you're right." Len thought for a moment and hen spotted one of the posters that had Amber's picture on it. "Hey look at the pup on the flyer over there."

"Oh, wow. That looks a lot like this one. Hey, look. She's wearing a tag. Check the name."

"It says… Amber. This is her! She's the pup that's missing. Oh boy, imagine what the owner will think when we tell them that was recycled by mistake."

The whole duration of that conversation, Amber wasn't sure whether to let them bring her back to her old owner's house or to run out of the box and hide somewhere. At the moment, her legs were too shaky for her to make a run for it. Then the two arms of the one called Len were reaching for her. She held tight to Little Blue as he lifted her from the box.

"Aww. There we go. It's okay girl. I won't hurt you," he said in a calm soothing voice. "If I didn't have three dogs already, I'd love to have a little pup like you."

 _And then when you find out there's something wrong with my eyes, I bet you'd throw me out just as fast,_ thought Amber. _He's only being that nice because he doesn't know me._

"Don't forget she already has a home," reminded Jarryd.

"Yeah, yeah," said Len longingly. "We better find someone who can take her back. The box wouldn't be too happy if we got much more off schedule."

"What about that family over there? They look like nice people," said Jarryd pointing to a young boy and his parents who had just parked their car and were walking to the nearby pier.

"Yeah, let's go ask them."

The two men walked over with trembling Amber. The parents of the boy looked young and very well kept. The little boy was dressed in a nice polo and shorts. When he saw the men coming over with a puppy in their arms he looked genuinely excited.

"Excuse me, Sir," said Len to the boy's father.

"Yes. What can I do for you two gentlemen?" responded the man politely.

"Well, you see. Somehow, this precious pup ended up in our truck and we believe that she is indeed the one whom the owner of those flyers is looking for," explained Jarryd pointing to one of the papers with Amber's picture on it.

"Oh, dear! The poor little thing. That ride in your truck must have been absolutely terrifying. No offense to you or your driving of course," said the mother.

"Oh, of course not. I completely understand. A garbage truck is no place for a pup," agreed Len.

"Anyway, we are still on duty, but if it would be no trouble for you, we were wondering if you could return her to her owner. You seemed to us to be a nice family and we are sure she would be safer in your hands," said Jarryd.

"Of course. No problem at all," said the father smiling and gently taking Amber with Little Blue from Len's hands.

"Thank you very much," said Len.

Len and Jarryd said fare well and went back to their truck while the family sat on a bench just before the boardwalk to the pier.

"Hello there, Amber. Are you thirsty?" asked the mother gently.

"Y-yes, maybe a little," replied Amber timidly.

The mother pulled out a water bottle from her purse. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to pour it in. Would you mind just letting me pour it into your mouth?"

Amber would have been more comfortable drinking from a bowl, but some water was better than none. "Sure," she answered.

Of course, Amber had a hard time figuring out how to hold her head so the water wouldn't make such a mess, but even though it was partially due to her bad vision, drinking water like this isn't really a tidy task for a dog. When she was done, Amber shook off the water that had landed on her fur rather than in her mouth. Unfortunately, the water sprayed the father making the little boy laugh.

"I'm so sorry," whimpered Amber. "I didn't mean to wet you."

"That's alright," said the father laughing. "The sun is pretty hot today. This'll dry off in a jiffy."

"Tom, why don't you go check out the phone number on that flyer over there? We should probably call to let the owner know we've found their pup."

While the boy's father walked over to the light post on which the flyer hung, the little boy attempted to play with Amber. To her surprise, he took her bear and was throwing it in the air.

"Come on. Catch it," he said with a taunting smile. It wasn't his intention to be mean to Amber, but she did not appreciate him throwing Little Blue around like that after all the stuffed bear had been through. Amber tried jumping to grab her, but her coordination was thrown off by her bad eyes.

"You're not a very good jumper, huh? Okay, well let's try fetch." The boy swung Little Blue by the arm much to Amber's disapproval and tossed her onto the boardwalk. The poor little bear was right at the edge of the pier with one leg hanging over the water. Amber couldn't tell where her bear had landed but she heard it thud on something that was made of wood and only assumed that Little Blue had landed on the pier.

"Now Nicholas, that was not very nice. We don't want to lose the puppy's toy, now. Do we?"

"No. I'm so-" but, as Nicholas turned to apologize to Amber he didn't see her anymore. Amber had gone after Little Blue in a hurry. She ran as fast as possible thinking that it would be a smooth path along the boardwalk. Her eyes didn't pick up, however, the uneven boards that tripped her and made her skid to a stop right before going over the edge. When she was able to lift her head, she spotted Little Blue only a few inches away. She got up and picked the bear up with her mouth turning around to walk back to the bench.

"You're a very silly pup," giggled Nicholas. "You looked so funny when you tripped and went sliding down the boardwalk!" He laughed some more.

"Nicholas, don't make fun of her like that. It isn't nice. She could have gotten very hurt," said his mother.

"I'm sorry," said Nicholas bowing his head. "I wonder if Dad got a hold of your owner, Amber," said Nicholas hopefully, but when he and his mother turned back to face Amber, she had disappeared again.

"No one's picking up," said Tom walking back over to his wife and son. "I've called about three times. I finally just left a message letting them know that we have their pup and asking them to please call me back when they get back home."

"Dad, I think we have a bigger problem," said Nicholas seriously.

"What's that?"

"We don't have the pup anymore. She disappeared on us!"

Nicholas's mom was already looking in the bushes by the fence calling for Amber. "Amber, come back sweetie. Nicky didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Please come back." She turned back and looked at her son and husband. "What will we tell the owner when he or she calls back and we no longer have Amber?" She covered her face with her hands in desperation.

"It's all my fault!" said Nicholas almost on the verge of tears.

"Now, just calm down everyone," said Tom in an attempt to gather everyone's scattered attention. "She might just be playing hide and seek. And if not, we can easily get her to come back with a little food. I think I packed a banana in our cooler. I'll go get it while you two keep looking around. It'll all be fine. You'll see."

Amber neither heard Nicholas's apology nor how concerned the whole family was for her safety. And, she definitely didn't hear the part about food. She was too preoccupied finding a place far away from them. When Nicholas had said those mean things to her, she decided that no human she would ever come across could ever really make her feel loved and that the best thing she could do was find a place where no human could ever find her. Being at a boardwalk on a beautiful sunny day, there were humans all over the place. Amber tried to hide behind the dumpster, but it was way too smelly and there were too many annoying little flies. She tried to find shelter in the low bushes, but it was too uncomfortable and prickly. Walking down even further from where she met that meanie Nicholas, she saw another smaller pier. Since this one was also a distance from all the shops and commotion. As she got closer to it, she noticed that there was a good stretch of grass beneath it before see came in. That would be a perfect place to live. It was nice and secluded with plenty of shade. There was also an endless supply of water, and surely, people would accidentally drop food around there. Thinking about food made Amber remember that she hadn't eaten anything yet today. As a matter of fact, she hadn't gotten to eat anything the day before either. And as if those memories weren't reminder enough, her stomach was growling so loud she was sure it would give her away.

Amber scurried faster toward the underside of the small pier concealing herself behind the shrubs and tall grass. She would have made it too if it hadn't been for an old broken lifejacket who's strap caught Amber's back paw sending it, herself, and Little Blue rolling down the sandy, grassy slope to the sea. Before reaching the water, Amber gripped onto a large jagged stone. It held her steady for a moment. Forgetting that Little Blue was in her mouth Amber opened it to take a gasp of air, a gasp that turned from shock to concern as Little Blue tumbled into the rushing waves. She turned to reach for her little bear but that only caused the stone she was gripping to wiggle free and send her and the lifejacket right behind Little Blue.

On her way down, Amber's legs, back and head dashed against stones and snagged on sharp branches. She didn't realize the quantity of cuts and scrapes she had gotten until she landed with a _plunk_ in the salty water. Amber gave a howl of pain as the water stung her wounds. Then a light blue flash of fabric caught her teary eyes. Little Blue's ear was hooked on a branch right in front of her and barely hanging on. Despite her discomfort, a very tangled Amber reached for her treasured bear. There reunion was quickly interrupted by a sudden splash of water that beckoned another howl from Amber. She did her best through gritted teeth to stumble back up the rocky slope but both the lifejacket and the ever-growing waves wouldn't allow for it. She felt hopeless.

As soon as she stopped grasping for the shore and took time to catch her breath, she noticed just how worn out she was. She could no longer lift her paws and all her strength was being used on just trying to take deep breaths. Remembering how she dropped Little Blue the first time, Amber first tucked her in between the straps of the lifejacket before allowing herself to pant. For the first time, Amber was actually grateful for the lifejacket which was keeping her afloat. Her sisters and she were given the privilege of learning how to swim back in their days at the old man's house. However, Amber was to beat, she didn't think she could even tread water. And now, she was feeling dizzy and tired. The rocking of the waves was all but useful. Before Amber could stop herself, her body went limp and everything went black.

* * *

When Amber opened her eyes, fuzzy blades of grass stood at attention at the tip of her nose. Rolling to her side, Amber could feel the soft sponginess against her fur. The air was fragrant with the scent of Jasmine flowers that grew in the old man's garden.

"Good morning, sleepy head," came Pearl's voice. Amber lifted her head to see her three sisters bounding over to her. "Come on, it's breakfast time!"

"I'm coming," said Amber with a yawn. The four girls made their way to the bowls that had been set out for them by their owner who now welcomed them with adoring eyes and a soft pet on the head for each of them. When Amber was finished gobbling her morning meal, she noticed that everyone was standing very still as the old man walked slowly to the middle of the yard.

"What's going on?" Amber asked.

"There's a snake by the tree," replied her mother in a low voice. The pups watched as the old man approached, shovel at the ready. He gave a fierce swing, but Amber guessed that he missed by the outburst of disappointed gasps.

"It's coming this way!" shouted Gemma. All the pups and their mother scattered, but Amber didn't know which way to turn and stayed petrified by the food bowls.

"This way, Amber! Hurry!" shouted Amber's mother. Amber tried to find where the voice was coming from, but her mother was lost from her sight. Then, came a _hiss_ from Amber's right. She rigidly turned her head to meet the eyes of a large snake that had already started encircling her with his long body. After breaking out of her shock, Amber gave a leap toward the back door of the house. Much to Amber's surprise, the once open door shut right as she was approaching. On the other side, she could hear her family whimpering for her. She begged them to let her in, but they wouldn't. Amber didn't understand. She whirled around to see the snake waiting at her tail. Amber was frozen. The snake began curling itself around her body gripping tighter and tighter with every round. Amber was having trouble breathing let her body give way to the snake's powerful hold. She gave one last gasp and felt herself fall.

* * *

Amber woke to a bump on the head. The sun was gleaming so bright, it took her a few seconds to open her eyes and see what had happened. Her body felt toasted by the sun. Amber looked around and slowly remembered how it was that she ended up floating on a lifejacket in the ocean and what happened to the snake. She gave a big sigh when she realized that it was just a dream, but gave a groan when wounds rubbed against the straps of the lifejacket that had somehow gotten even more tangled around her sore body. Amber could not see the pier anymore. She couldn't even see any strip of land. There was something that looked like tiny hills, but her eyes could only focus so much. Her only companion in the water was Little Blue, still tucked in by her side, and a large buoy bobbing back and forth. This must have been what woke her from that horrible nightmare.

What was going to happen now? Amber could try to paddle herself to those hill-like things she saw, but who knew how long that would take? And, what kind of creatures would she find on her way there? The buoy was surely there because it was meant to be seen. If Amber tried to stay by it, at least she would have a chance at someone rescuing her. Plus, she wasn't sure how well she could paddle in the tangled mess she was in. Amber decided to latch herself onto the buoy as best as she could. Even if it was a human who found her, it would be better than nothing, or worse, a shark.

Amber's first attempt at grabbing the buoy resulted in her flipping over so that the lifejacket was now on top of her and she ended up under the water. The cool water was quite refreshing until it started stinging her all over. With a struggle to keep her head above the water, Amber took four tries to flip herself back over. In all this splashing and turning, Amber had moved about a yard from the buoy. In frustration, Amber began to paddle with her slightly freer front paws toward her one hope of survival. Her progress was so slow, it didn't seem like she was moving at all. The waves weren't really in her favor either. Amber rested her head for a moment gathering strength for her next attempt. The water was dark. _It must be pretty deep,_ she thought. Then, out of nowhere, something jumped out of the water from her left and landed with a splash inches from her right side. Amber gave a little gasp of surprise.

"What was that?" she asked in surprise. "That must have been a pretty big fish to have made a splash like that… unless… it was… a sh-shark." The creature then popped out of the water right in front of Amber. She screamed and tipped backwards into the water. Heart pounding, Amber flailed and twisted irritating her cuts more. All she wanted to do was get out of the water. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up. Her body couldn't take much more and on top of that, she was getting dizzy again. With one last push, she won the wrestling match against the lifejacket and faded out with the image of a pointed fin sticking out above the water.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: First Impressions**

Cap'n Turbot finally spotted it! He had lost track of a dolphin he was trying to photograph for a few minutes, but there it was! It was a good ten yards off the starboard side of the Flounder. With a steady hand, Cap'n Turbot zoomed in with his camera. The dolphin gave a good strong leap into the air. _Click_ went the camera. _Click, click, click._ The dolphin leaped again and spun around before splashing back in the water.

"What superb spiraling spins!" he exclaimed to himself. The dolphin swam a few more feet away toward one of his companions. The two swam side by side like rockets in the water. Then they vanished for a brief time. "Hmmm… I wonder where they have gone off to." He took out his binoculars and scanned the seas surface. Skimming left to right no dorsal fins could be spotted.

"Water… water… buoy… something tangled in a lifejacket… Wait a minute. What is that? And, where did that lone lifejacket lug it from?" He put down the binoculars and made his way toward the strange object. Upon getting closer, he could make out the golden fur of some battered animal wrapped in the safety straps of the floatation device. After cleaning his glasses and squinting to make sure that he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing he gasped. Right at that moment, one of the dolphins emerged and arched over the strange orange and gold jumble filling Cap'n Turbots mouth with seawater. Coughing and sputtering, he cleaned off his glasses once more and closed in on the lifejacket.

"I can't believe it," he whispered. "How did a pup end up floating all the way out here and all mangled in a mess of such magnitude?" He saw how injured the pup was and tried to lift her, lifejacket and all, onto his boat. He then gently picked off slimy strands of seaweed from on top of her. Seeing that the lifejacket was old and broken, he decided it would be best to cut away the twisted straps in order to free the pup from those bindings. He knew she was still alive but breathing just barely. When the pup and her little blue bear were finally separated from the orange menace, Cap'n Turbot climbed up the stairs to the upper deck of his boat laid the pup down on a towel with her bear in the shade. After collecting the remnants of the old lifejacket and disposing of it, he picked up his phone and made a call.

"Hello, Cap'n Turbot," came a young cheery voice. "Have you gotten a good picture of those dolphins?"

"Oh yes, Ryder, but that is not why I called."

"What's wrong?" asked Ryder noticing the distress in the captain's voice.

"Well, I was observing a rather odd object out here in the ocean, and when I got a closer look turned out to be a pup fastened to a rather flimsy floatation device. She's definitely not deceased, but she is not doing well."

"Oh wow! Where are you right now?"

"I'm a couple miles north of Seal Island, close to the Cape Catfish Pier."

"Alright, just keep the pup in a shady spot and offer her some water if she is able to take it. The PAW Patrol will meet you out there as soon as we can."

"You got it, Ryder! I'll start making my way back to Adventure Bay and meet you half way." He hung up the phone and turned the Flounder around.

* * *

Ryder finished talking with Cap'n Turbot and immediately called in all his pups. "PAW Patrol, to the lookout!"

"Ryder needs us!" came their unanimous response from different area's around the lookout. Chase and Marshall tugging a rope toy, Rubble was taking a nap, Rocky was rummaging through some things in his pup house, and Zuma and Skye were practicing some hula moves they learned on Pup Pup Boogie for the big Luau that night. All the pups dropped their activities and ran over to the lookout elevator. As expected, everyone got to the elevator before Marshall. He would have been there right behind Chase if it weren't that his front paws plunged into an old bucket Rocky had left out. The force of his run sent him into a summersault and then a sideways roll toward the elevator. Fortunately for the pups, Marshall slowed down right before reaching the elevator door. Nevertheless, when he finally managed to free his paws from the cramped bucket, he lost his balance and landed on his back right in the middle of the pups.

"Are you okay, Marshall," asked Rubble.

"Why? Am I looking a little pail?" The pups all laughed as the elevator doors closed and transported them to the Change Room where they suited up and then to the Observatory. Lining up in their usual order Chase gave the word.

"PAW Patrol ready for action, Ryder, Sir!"

"Great timing pups. Cap'n Turbot just called us with an urgent mission for us. While he was out taking pictures of some bottlenose dolphins, he found a badly hurt pup floating in the middle of the water," said Ryder pulling up the footage on the big screen.

"Oh no! How's the pup doing now, Ryder?" asked Skye worriedly

"I'm not sure. That's why for this mission I'm going to need Zuma," he said displaying Zuma's profile. "I need you to use your hover craft to meet Cap'n Turbot on the Flounder half way between Seal Island and the Cape Catfish Pier. We need you in case there's trouble out on the water."

"Let's dive in!" announced Zuma.

"… and Marshall, I need you to use your EMT gear and give this pup a proper checkup. She's got a lot of scrapes and may be dehydrated."

"I'm ready for a _ruff, ruff_ rescue!" cried Marshall eagerly.

"The rest of you pups keep preparing for tonight's luau. I'll call you if I need your help. Alright! PAW Patrol is on a roll!" Zuma, Marshall, and Ryder exited the observatory and strapped themselves into their vehicles as quickly as possible. A mission like this was pretty time sensitive. The rest of the pups stayed up in the lookout dawning worried expressions.

"I wonder how that pup ended up out there?" asked Rocky.

"I wonder if someone is looking for her?" pondered Skye.

"I hope Ryder and the other pups get to her on time. She seemed to be in pretty bad shape," remarked Chase recalling the image of the badly bruised and bleeding pup.

"Yeah," agreed Rubble as the others nodded. "I guess we should start setting up for the party until Ryder, Marshall, and Zuma get back."

Although the pups were concerned about the mystery pup, Mayor Goodway was counting on the PAW Patrol to help her host a special luau for Adventure Bay in honor of the start of summer vacation. She was so proud of how well Adventure Bay's student's had done that school year, she decided to give the kids a fun treat. There would be a limbo competition, coconut carving, hula dancing, lei making, fun music, great food, and even a professional fire juggler, with permission from and under the watchful eye of Marshall, of course. The party was going to be held in the town square. The decorations and equipment were already there. All that was missing were the pups to help set everything up. The mayor had requested the pups be there after lunch and it was already noon. Chase, Rocky, Skye, and Rubble hopped into their vehicles after a quick lunch and headed toward downtown still thinking about the pup they had seen on the big screen.

* * *

After a few minutes of zipping northward, Ryder and the pups spotted the Flounder. Ryder contacted Cap'n Turbot.

"We're coming up at your 11 o'clock Cap'n Turbot."

"Ay, ay, Ryder. I've spotted your ATV and Zuma's hovercraft." As soon as they were close enough, Ryder and the two pups quickly climbed aboard Cap'n Turbot's boat. "The pups up here!" hollered the captain from the top of the steps. When the pups and Ryder got up there, he explained to them how he had to cut away the straps of the lifejacket to untangle the pup.

"Using a bwroken lifejacket is totally not safe," said Zuma, "especially if a pup is using one made for humans."

"Right you are, Zuma," commented Cap'n Turbot. "I made sure to put that old thing in the trash." Looking back at the still unconscious pup he said, "She looked very overheated and wasn't waking, so I soaked a towel and placed it on her forehead."

"That was a good idea," Ryder said encouragingly. "Let's have Marshall check her out more thoroughly. Marshall?"

On command, Marshall took out his x-ray screen and checked the pup for any broken bones. Then he checked her pulse and examined all her injuries. Right when he was about to suggest something, the golden retriever began to stir a little and open her eyes. "She's waking up!" announced Marshall joyfully. After taking a dry gulp of air, the pup began coughing. "That's good. Go ahead. Cough as much as you need to," said Marshall gently.

"What…" asked the pup weakly, still in a daze.

"My name's Marshall. I'm here to help you. Can you tell me your name?"

"A-amber," said the pup trying to turn from her side onto her four paws. However, the motion made her scrapes sting horribly and she ended up just laying on her belly with a moan.

"Try not to move too much. You're scraped up pretty badly. I'm going to take your temperature now. Can you open your mouth for me please?"

Amber slowly opened her mouth and saw something come out from the red pack on the pup's back. While the thermometer was in her mouth, Amber looked around. She spotted another pup that looked kind of like her, but with darker fur and a couple of humans, a young boy and a tall man. She noticed that the ground was swaying slightly and could hear the wind and water. _Am I still in the ocean? Where did the lifejacket go? Who are these pups?_ She had so many questions, but before she could say anything Marshall took the thermometer out of her mouth and continued his checkup.

"You still seem to be pretty warm, but Cap'n Turbot has done a good job at cooling you down. You should definitely get rehydrated, but first I need to clean up you cuts and bandage them up so they don't get infected," Marshall told her. "It might sting a little."

Marshall took out some antibacterial cleaning swabs from his pup and a large bundle of bandages. He and Ryder went straight to work. Normally, Marshall would do this on his own, but due to the number of cuts on poor Amber's body, it was a job for two. Amber winced every time the cleansers touched her torn up skin. She braved it as best she could. She knew that she would feel much better after they were done. She could help feel hesitant about having the young boy helping her out. Up until now, most of her experiences with humans hadn't ended very well.

"All done," said Marshall with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Mawrshall. I think you'wre forgetting someone," said Zuma pointing to Amber's bear. Little Blue also had a few cuts, and stuffing was coming out of her arm and side.

"I don't think I've ever had to bandage a teddy bear before, but I'll do my best."

"Oh no Little B- I mean…" started Amber.

"Your bear will be alright. Marshall's the best medic pup I know," said Ryder patting Amber softly on the head mindful of the bandage by her left ear. "When we get back to the Lookout I'll have Katie clean it up and sew back together for you."

"Um, thank you…" said Amber trailing off.

"Oh, my name's Ryder. And, you already know the Dalmatian pup, Marshall. This is Zuma and that's Cap'n Turbot. He's the one that found you and rescued you from the water." Ryder handed Amber a bowl of water. After taking a few small sips, she turned her sore head in the direction of the other human.

"That's right. You were in quite a tight tangle when I found you," he told her.

"What happened to you, Amber," asked Ryder squatting next to her on the floor.

Amber stared down at the specks of light and shade that were made by the sun hitting a portion of the clean towel she now lay on. What was she going to tell them? What would they do if she told them the whole truth? They seemed nice enough, but that's what she thought about her old owner and the family at the pier. She finally managed to speak up. "I was just playing at the beach when I got tangled in that old lifejacket and fell down this rocky into the water. I don't remember anything else," she lied.

"Wow, it's a good thing we got to you so quickly. A few more hours like that out on the ocean could have been really bad for you," Ryder pet Amber gingerly again. She could help but feel comforted despite her stereotype for humans. Amber's stomach growled just then prompting Ryder to say, "You must be hungry. How about the pups and I take you back to the Lookout and we can all have some lunch?"

Amber nodded, embarrassed that her stomach growled so loud. She was definitely hungry and just talking about food was making her mouth water. She slowly got up and tested her legs. It hurt to walk but the bandages made a big difference from how she had felt earlier. Zuma and Marshall were first to walk down the steps. Amber didn't notice that those steps were there and was glad that the other pups went first. She noticed that as they stepped off the edge, they were getting shorter and shorter. Then, went Ryder, but he waited for her on the second step down. "Come on, Amber. I'll take you on my ATV and Marshall will ride with Zuma."

She walked slowly toward the steps and carefully went down them staring down at her paws to make sure she knew where the steps were and when she reached the bottom. Ryder noticed this but thought, maybe, it was just something she was doing because she was hurt and tired. Ryder got into his vehicle and then helped Amber. When she was stepping on the edge before climbing into the seat, she lost her footing and slipped. Ryder caught her but not Little Blue. The bear slid into the water. Amber gave a small whimper.

"It's alright. Zuma, can you dive in after it?" Zuma and Marshall had watched it sink into the water from the hovercraft.

"Wready, set, get wet!" said Zuma already sporting his scuba gear and jumping into the water. Before Amber could turn and see what he was doing, Zuma had disappeared under the water.

Little Blue hadn't sunk very far, only a few feet or so. Although the bear was already a little soaked from before, making it heavier, Zuma caught it before it went too deep. Within just a couple of minutes, Zuma bobbed back over the surface and handed Ryder the drenched bear. Thanks to Marshall's handy work, the bandages still clung tightly to the droopy teddy. Ryder tried squeezing most of the water out and handed it to Amber.

"Hold on tight to it," he said with a small laugh. "We don't want it falling out again."

"Little Blue," whispered Amber hugging her tightly.

"Oh, and Cap'n Turbot, don't forget about the Luau tonight!" shouted Ryder toward the flounder.

"Wouldn't miss it! I can't wait to try Mr. Porter's Polynesian platters and test my luck at the limbo competition," said Cap'n Turbot enthusiastically while pantomiming going under a limbo stick and then slipping on water and falling on his back.

Ryder laughed and waved good-bye. Amber was a little scared about how fast they were moving through the water and not being able to see if they were going to run into anything. She trusted that Ryder knew how to drive well. He did make it to Cap'n Turbot's boat from the Lookout on his way over to rescue her. Her heart pounded as they zipped across the blue water. She wasn't sure what she would find when she got to the… Lookout. What kind of a place was that? Who would be there when they arrived? Where would she be by tonight when everyone would be at the luau? Amber tried to settle her thoughts by staring off the side of the ATV and looking at the water spouting and spraying as they cut through it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: What Next?**

Skye hovered with her jet pack stringing up lights and humming along to the music. The pups really wanted to get into the Hawaiian spirit so they put on some of the CD's that would be used as background music later that evening. Skye loved how happy the music sounded and how much it made her feel like dancing. Everest and Rocky were right below helping Katie make grass hula skirts out of plastic shopping bags. This was Rocky's idea. Rubble was happily digging small holes in which to stick decorative tiki torches around the perimeter of the square. Chase helping to arrange the different activity areas while Mr. Porter and Famer Al were setting up the stage and Mayor Goodway and Famer Yumi decorated the tables with hibiscus centerpieces. Alex, Mr. Porter's grandson, was running around excitedly looking at the beautiful luau scene come to life. He jumped from station to station helping Skye by holding a bundle of lights or passing a coil of wires to Jake who was working with the sound system. He loved to help. Everyone was doing their part and just about everyone was enjoying the moment and the atmosphere.

Chase could not stop sneezing. With all the flowers being used for decoration, not to mention Chickaletta and Cali running around, his allergies were not being his friend at the moment. Every other thing that came out of his megaphone was, "Ah-choo!" He tried not to let it bother him, though. He had a job to do and he wanted it to be done right. With Ryder still out on the rescue mission, he was kind of like the leader. He knew his friends could handle their individual duties on their own, but he knew they would feel more comfortable with him there keeping things running smoothly. They had been working for nearly an hour and many of the pups were panting from the heat.

"Alright, everyone. Water break," he said into the megaphone. Thankfully, the water cooler and bowls were in a corner of the square with the least amount of flowers. All the pups walked over, tongues hanging loosely out of their mouth.

"I hope it cools down," said Everest. A pup with her kind of fur was made more for cold, snowy weather.

"It shouldn't be too hot later. I think I saw a big crowd of clods making its way over," said Skye in her usual cheery manner. "Plus, the party going to start right before dinner time. It'll definitely be cooler by then."

"Mmm, I can't wait to see all the yummy food Mr. Porter's going to bring," said Rubble dreamily.

"Oh, yeah! I hope he makes something with liver in it," said Everest licking her lips.

"But, we just had lunch," said Skye with a giggle.

"When you're a hungry pup, you're a hungry pup," said Rocky sending everyone into a roar of laughter only interrupted by the sound of the pup tags barking.

"It's Ryder! They must be back from rescuing that pup," said Chase.

"Hello pups. Zuma, Marshall, Amber, and I are just a few minutes away from the Lookout. We'd like you pups to meet us there as soon as you're done," Ryder said. The pups gave each other confused looks at the mention of the name, "Amber."

"That must be the name of the pup they rescued," whispered Rocky.

"Yes, Sir. We are almost done." Responded Chase.

"Alright, pups. See you soon."

Just as the call ended, Mayor Goodway came over to where the pups were standing. "Was that Ryder I heard?"

"Yeah, he just wants us to head over as soon as the square is all decorated," said Skye.

"Oh. Okay, then. We only have a few more things to take care of. Why don't you pups head back? You've been a very big help and you look like you could use a break," the mayor said giving Skye a good ear scratch. "I'm sure we'll be fine to finish up."

"Are you sure?" asked Chase.

"Yes, yes. Go on," she urged. Usually Mayor Goodway wasn't the calmest person when things got hectic, but it did seem like everything was under control.

"O-okay. Let's go pups," Chase instructed and they all hopped into their vehicles howling and barking. Mayor Goodway watched them leave and wondered why the pups' faces seemed so worried all of a sudden. Then she forgot why she had walked over to the pups in the first place.

"Oh, no! I forgot to ask if Ryder could have the pups sing a song for the opening of the luau. Oh, well, nothing a little call can't fix." She took out her phone to call, but just then a runaway hula-hoop bounced in her direction and hit the phone right out of her hand and into one of the water bowls the pups had left behind. "Wonderful…"

"Watch out!" but Alex's warning came too late. "I'm sorry, Mayor Goodway. I was practicing for the hula-hoop competition, and I was doing really well spinning it on my arm… until it kinda got loose from me… I'm sorry."

The mayor sighed. "It's alright Alex. I'll just… have to let it dry. It'll be working fine in no time… I hope."

* * *

Amber walked slowly by Ryder as the other two pups walked on ahead in the direction of a large tower-like structure. Amber had never seen anything like it. There were some big, differently colored objects surrounding the base of the structure. Then, for a couple of stories, the structure climbed up in a slender cylindrical shape. The uppermost part of the structure was wider than the cylinder and looked like it had some large windows around it or something. Although Amber had some trouble telling the difference between some colors, she definitely could recognize some of the bright colors used to decorate the structure. They were getting closer and Amber was trying her absolute best to not draw attention to her… problem.

"That's the Lookout, Amber," said Ryder pointing to the structure that they were approaching. "Zuma and Marshall are part of a team of pups that help keep the people who live in Adventure Bay safe. You'll be meeting the other pups in a bit. They were out helping everyone get the town square ready for the big luau tonight."

Amber nodded. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to grow by the hundreds as the Lookout grew larger in her sight. Basically, she was walking toward the headquarters of a super team of pups who kept humans safe instead of the more common other way around. She had never heard of such a thing. These pups must be really something. And, she already had some proof of that. Marshall had shown great expertise in performing first aid and Zuma could drive a hovercraft and was an excellent diver. What other kinds of pups would she meet? This was the very place she didn't belong. She was a less-than-normal pup who was running away from trouble and just winding up in it even deeper each time. If she didn't watch herself, she could end up right where she started, at the old man's house waiting to be taken to a shelter. She thought then of Blizzard who had been there for her when no one else was. She thought of her sisters and mom who tried everything to make sure she was safe and happy. Then her mind went to Marshall and Zuma. They seemed to care about her safety too. Maybe she could trust them and the other pups to hide her from anyone who could be searching for her.

By this time, they had reached the Lookout and were walking into a large lobby on the first floor. Coming in from the bright summer sun to a not as bright room, left Amber's poor eyes struggling to capture even the outlines of things in the lobby. It always took her longer than anyone else to adjust. As her paws stepped over the threshold, she could hear the pups inside talking.

"They'wre having a hula hoop competition?" asked Zuma excitedly.

"Yeah! Alex's idea. They're going to do it after we show them our dance," came a light girl pup's voice.

"I'm totally wready!" said Zuma. Amber couldn't see, but he was standing on his hind legs pretending to swivel a hula-hoop around his waist.

"Me too! Arf!" said Marshall a little closer to where Amber was walking. At the same instant, both Amber a Marshall stepped on a skateboard that one of the pups had left near the door and both rolled with it a couple of feet before losing balance and falling in a pile. The two moaned and then came Marshall's usual, "I'm okay."

"Woah, my allergies must be worse than I thought. I think I'm seeing two Marshalls," said Chase.

"Nope, it's not just you, dude," said Zuma with a smile. "And thewre awre two pups, but only one of them is Mawrshall."

"Amber, are you okay?" asked Marshall helping her to her paws. A small gasp could be heard from all the pups. "Oh yeah, pups, this is Amber. She's the pup who needed help this morning."

"Nice to meet you, Amber. I'm Skye," said the cockapoo walking up to her. Amber was still not used to the dimness of the room, but she could tell that Skye was standing in front of her now. "How are you doing? It seems like you had a rough morning."

"I'm fine," said Amber looking away shyly. She could feel all eyes on her and all the attention was making her feel uncomfortable.

"That's good. We were kinda worried about you. You didn't look to good in the clip Ryder showed us, but I can see Marshall bandaged you up really well," said another pup approaching on her right. "You're not on your own, are ya? I know how that can be. I'm Rubble by the way."

"Well… uh…" Amber wasn't ready to tell the pups the whole story, yet. She wasn't completely sure she could trust them. Plus, Ryder was standing right behind her.

"Hey, you've got a collar. Ryder, she's got to belong to someone, right?" questioned another pup from her left.

"We can help you find your owner. No job is too big. No pup is too small," said a mature voice further in front of her.

"Yeah!" seemed to say every voice in the room.

Amber was starting to feel wobbly again. Partly because she still hadn't eaten anything, but also because she felt trapped and unable to run away. Ryder must have noticed how she was feeling because he knelt down beside her and put his hand on her back helping her find her balance.

"How about we eat some lunch and I can introduce you to the rest of the pups. We can talk about finding your owner after that," said Ryder's calm voice. Amber managed a breath and a small nod.

"Oh, yum, lunch. I'm stawrving," said Zuma excitedly.

"Alright, then. I know the rest of you pups already had your lunch, but why don't you join us, and you can tell Amber more about yourselves."

A few moments later Marshall, Zuma, and Amber were gobbling away at a bowl of kibble. Amber's mouth watered as she paced herself eating. She did not want to draw attention to herself again. Rubble noticed the look in her eyes. He remembered the days he had spent on his own before he was made a part of the PAW Patrol and recognized the hunger in Amber's face. He looked at Ryder who also seemed to notice amount of control it was taking Amber not to inhale her lunch. He broke the peanut butter sandwich that was in his hands in half and put one half back in the brown paper bag from whence it came. He had already noticed that Amber seemed to get embarrassed easily and was going to save that half to give to her when the pups weren't around.

"So, like I was explaining to you earlier, this is the PAW Patrol. Each of these pups has a job that they are especially good at, like Marshall being our fire pup and medic," started Ryder.

"And I'm the watewr wrescue pup," said Zuma.

"I'm the police pup, and sometimes, I'm a super-spy," said Chase modestly.

"I'm the pup who's gotta fly," said Skye with a little giggle and a flip.

"I guess you could call me the teams recycling pup," said Rocky next. "I like to find a good use for stuff that other people might think is trash."

"He's also very good at fixing things," interjected Ryder.

"I'm a construction pup," said Rubble with a smile.

"And I'm the snow rescue pup," finished Everest.

"And Ryder's our leader. People call him when they need help and then he picks the pups that are right for the job," added Chase.

"That's right. How about you, Amber? Why don't you share a little about yourself so the pups and I can get to know you a little better?" asked Ryder.

"Um… I don't really have a special thing I'm good at…"

"That's okay if you don't know what it is yet. Everyone's got something they can do, but sometimes it takes a little searching. Just tell us about stuff you like or maybe about your home," Ryder was trying to gently encourage her to give more details about where she had come from without forcing too much. He could tell that there was something she wasn't revealing to them.

"Well... one of my favorite things is listening to stories, I guess. I like to pretend I'm a character in the story," said Amber in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, that can be fun. The pups once acted out the story of King Arthur and his Knights- I mean Pups of the Round Table," said Ryder. He thought that finding similarities between her and the pups would help Amber not feel so intimidated.

"Oh yeah, I remember that. That was the day Chase got sick and Marshall had to fill in for him as Arthur," remembered Skye. The rest of the pups agreed and nodded their heads.

"That's right. I remember Marshall was really nervous, but we all knew he could do it," said Ryder.

"Yeah, he did a great job and made everyone laugh," said Chase chuckling at the memory.

"Aww thanks guys, but let's get back to Amber. We already know what a klutz I can be," said Marshall giving an embarrassed smile. Amber was slightly amazed. These pups were like super heroes to her, but they got sick and were clumsy and did other stuff that normal pups do too.

"Am-" but Ryder was cut off by the ringing of his pup pad. "Ryder here."

"Hello Ryder," said Mayor Goodway in her typical singsong way.

"Mayor Goodway, your calling from Mr. Porter's phone?"

"Yes. My phone is… unavailable at the moment."

"Oh, okay. What can I help you with?"

"Well, I was wondering if the PAW Patrol band had the time to practice a song for tonight's luau. It would be a great way to start the festivities."

Ryder looked at the pups. "Ooo! That sounds like fun," said Skye.

"Yeah!" said the rest.

"The pups are all in, Mayor Goodway. No job is too big! No pup is too small!," said Ryder.

"Great! Thank you so much, Ryder!" and the call ended.

"Pups, you better get to practicing. We've only got a couple of hours before we've got to be in the town square."

"I'll go get the instruments," said Marshall excitedly. He ran over to the closet in the lobby but tripped over the same skateboard from before and ended up rolling into the closet. "I'm good," he said quickly shaking off a floppy hat that had fallen on his head. Everyone laughed. Amber did too. She didn't see how funny Marshall looked in the hat, and she didn't understand why him almost getting hurt was funny; but she didn't want to stand out by not laughing.

After Rubble helped Marshall dig out their instruments from the jumble in the closet, the pups set up and started coming up with a nice tropical sounding piece with lyrics about the summer time and school being over. Amber enjoyed hearing them work. They had so many talents and worked very well together. Amber's stomach growled during a point when Skye was beating out a really neat rhythm on a couple of buckets. At least that's what Amber could tell that they looked like judging by the shape and how they sounded. She really hoped Ryder didn't hear the gurgling noise, but he was sitting so close to her.

"Amber, I hope you don't mind me taking you away from the pups for a minute," he finally said.

 _What could he want to tell me,_ she thought.

"It's kind of important," he insisted. "We won't go far. Just up to the observatory. It's just an elevator ride away." He smiled.

"O-okay," she said hesitantly.

"I promise I won't keep you long. I know you probably want to hang out more with the pups."

He was sort of right. She was sure Ryder was a nice person, but she felt more comfortable around the pups even though she didn't know how they would respond to her secret. In the end, she decided to go with Ryder. She was enjoying the pups' music, but she wasn't being much help.

"Follow me," he said ushering her to the elevator doors. The pups were so busy, they didn't even notice them leave the room.

The elevator went up. It passed the change room with all the pup's uniforms and arrived smoothly with a _ding_ at the top floor. Amber had never ridden an elevator before. It felt funny when they stopped going up so fast and everything in her body felt like it was still trying to go up.

"Come over to the window," ushered Ryder. In the large room, Amber could see a long pole that extended from the ceiling to the floor. It was kind of blurry to her should she couldn't tell what its purpose was. Ryder and Amber walked over to one of the wide windows. Amber walked a little too close to Ryder's escape pole and her lack of peripheral vision didn't allow her to catch that she was about to step into the gaping hole in the ground. Luckily Ryder turned his head to look at her right as she was about to take a step into the hole.

"Don't step!" he warned turning around to pull her away from the disaster. "Watch out! That could have been a pretty bad fall."

"Oh, wow. Sorry. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going," said Amber nervously.

"I'm just glad I stopped you before you took that step. Up here is where I assign missions to the PAW Patrol. And, from here is where the pups and I head down to our vehicles. I use this pole and the pups use that slide over there," said Ryder pointing. Amber could just make out where the top of the slide was. "Come on, and lets stay away from the pole this time."

From the window, Amber could see that they were higher than she had ever been in her short life. It kind of frightened her to be so close to such a big window so high above the ground. Ryder saw her hesitation to get near the window and put his hand on her back.

"Why don't we sit," he said pulling out the brown paper bag with the other half of his sandwich in it. "Here, I can tell you're still hungry. It's peanut butter."

Amber sniffed the sandwich and then took a bite and smiled. It was so delicious to her. As she finished it up, she forgot how scared she had felt to be sitting next to the window. Ryder then poured Amber a bit of water from his water bottle into the plastic container that used to hold his sandwich.

"Peanut butter can be kind of sticky, huh?" he asked laughing.

Amber nodded and drank up the water.

"Can I ask you a serious question?" he asked.

"Y-yes…" she answered knowing what was coming.

"What really happened to you, Amber. I know for sure that it looks like you haven't eaten for more than just today. I've seen it in a pup before."

"But I told you everything. I just hadn't had breakfast today, that's all," she said hoping he would believe her.

"Hmmm… You know I'm just trying to help you, right? I won't hurt you or anything. But that was the thing. She knew he would end up hurting her if he decided to bring her back home. It wouldn't be his intention, but she couldn't let him know that she had run away and was trying to stay hidden. She definitely couldn't let him know the reason why either. He wouldn't look at her the same.

"Yeah I know," she said looking at the ground.

"Would you at least like to tell me who your owner is. The pups and I can try to get you two back together."

"Well… you see…" she thought of something to say. "My owner… was the one who took me to the beach, but when he was going to leave, he told me to stay. I didn't think he was going to come back for me."

Ryder could tell that there was something not quite true about her story, but she seemed adamant about it. Tears were even starting to well up in her eyes. She blinked them away quickly.

"That's really too bad. I'm sorry he did that to you," Ryder said hugging Amber. "You can definitely stay here at the Lookout with the pups and I until we can find you a nice loving home. Would you like that?"

"Sure," she said slowly but genuinely. She wasn't sure how long she would last without revealing the part of herself that was most difficult to hide.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you would like to tell me?" he asked giving it one last shot.

"No, not really," she said trying to sound convincing.

"Okay then. If you ever feel like talking more, the pups and I are always willing to listen," being so close to Amber, Ryder could tell that Amber's eyes sort of shook a little as if it was something she couldn't control. Seeing that only made him more sure of something he had been wondering about after observing Amber for a bit. He didn't want to make any assumptions just yet. "How about we head back down stairs to tell the pups that its almost time to go?"

Amber nodded and walked with Ryder to the elevator. Without Amber paying much attention to it, Ryder had lightly placed his fingertips on Amber's collar so that he could "steer" her away from any hazards.

When they reached the lobby, the pups were already packing up their instruments. Skye hopped over to Ryder and Amber as they stepped out of the elevator.

"When did you leave? We didn't notice you weren't here anymore until we finished practicing," she said.

"I was just giving Amber a tour of the observatory," answered Ryder patting Skye on the head. "How was practice? Do you think you pups are ready to perform at such short notice?"

"Oh, yeah. I think you're going to like what we came up with! I'm so excited!" Skye gave a little flip. Getting a laugh out of Ryder and a smile from Amber.

"Great! Then, I guess as soon as you're all packed up PAW Patrol will be on a Role! The busy room erupted in cheering and howling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Playing it Cool**

As they approached the Town Square, Amber could smell so many lovely things and hear the music echoing against the surrounding buildings. She could also hear the sound of hundreds of people talking and laughing. It made her very nervous. She had never been around so many humans at the same time. She wished she could just stay with the pups, but she knew they had to go perform and help out with the various activities. She could hang around Ryder, but he might have to leave her too at some point. She ran options through in her head quickly as Ryder's ATV slowed to a stop.

"Are you ready to have some fun, Amber?" he asked smiling.

"I guess so," she answered quietly.

"I'm sure there are plenty of things for you to do that don't require you to do much. I want you to have fun, but my main goal is that you rest so you can heal." Amber nodded and Ryder helped her out of the ATV. "Come on, I'll stick by you the whole time."

"Oh, there they are!" cried a voice as they walked over to the side of the stage. "Just in time! I'll go do the welcoming speech."

"Okay, Mayor Goodway. I'll get the pups to set up." Mayor Goodway nodded and walked onto the stage. She was in such a hurry, she didn't even notice Amber standing at Ryder's side. That was fine with Amber, the less attention the better, especially from the mayor.

"Alright, pups. You're on after Mayor Goodway welcomes everyone here. Are you ready?" the pups howled in response and ran up behind the backstage curtain to get everything in place. He turned to Amber and asked, "How about we go find a spot near the front to watch the pups?"

"Okay," Amber said softly. She turned her head to look at the crowd of people gathered in front of the stage listening to the mayor. She hoped Ryder would pick a spot on the side by the least amount of spectators. The walked over and much to Amber's dislike, they found an open spot almost in the middle. Some people started asking Ryder about bandaged-up pup he had with him and as he explained Amber just held her head low and only look up occasionally. Then she heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, Ryder! How's our little miracle pup letting up?"

Amber looked over to the right to see a very memorable yellow set of overalls walking in their direction. It looked like Cap'n Turbot had replaced his favorite blue polo with a shirt more attuned to the occasion. Amber couldn't tell if there were leaves or flowers or palm trees on his shirt, but it looked pretty Hawaiian to her.

"She's doing much better," answered Ryder. Amber wagged her bruised tail a little. Cap'n Turbot seemed to be as trustworthy as Ryder was and he was the one he rescued her from the water. The least she could do was show him a little gratitude. The quirky captain came over and scratched Amber on the head mindful of bandages. It was nice, almost relaxing. She couldn't help giving a small yawn.

"Looking a little tired I see," he said in response. Amber looked at him with her big round eyes.

"Yeah, I really would have liked her to stay at the Lookout, but there wouldn't have been anyone to stay with her. I'm just planning to hang around with her for the evening. We'll just do some of the less strenuous stuff."

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed the captain.

"So here they are! The PAW Patrol band!" Mayor Goodway's voice echoed throughout the square and cheers and applause rang through the crowd. Ryder, Amber, and Cap'n Turbot turned their attention to the stage where the front curtain was being pulled back to reveal the pups in playing position. Skye, Chase, Rocky, Zuma, and Everest all had their real instruments this time, as opposed to the makeshift ones they had played around with at the Lookout, and Marshall and Rubble were in front at the mic.

The song began with a deep lively beat followed by the strumming of the ukulele and the marimba, Everest's instrument. Then Rubble came in with Marshall singing the harmony. They started off slowly and then sped up after the first verse.

"It's that time of year when the days are long

And the sun seems to smile at you from above

It's this time of year that fills your heart with a song

That summertime feeling is one you really love

So in honor of the days when the sand and surf call out to you

And you feel that urge to celebrate that summer has come anew

We wrote this hula song to help get your tropical grove on

It's called the No Schoola Hula, grab your skirts and leis and let's get a move on

Arms to the left and hips to the right

Now swing it around to the other side

Make an arch overhead to resemble the sun

Now sidestep it once and we're having fun…"

The pups continued to describe the moves. Everyone was enjoying the song. It just made you feel like moving. Alex, Mayor Goodway's niece and nephew, and all the kids were having a blast copying the moves. Even Cap'n Turbot and most of the adults were dancing too. And, without realizing it, Amber was attempting to follow the instructions. After a bit, the pups added a few more moves, some of which she couldn't understand. She felt silly trying them. It just seemed like she kept doing the wrong thing.

Ryder saw her struggling and then stopping completely. He knelt down next to her. "Would you like me to show you?" he asked. Amber stomach stung with embarrassment as she nodded slightly.

"Okay, first stick your right paw out in front of you. Good, now, stick your left one out to the side. When you bring the left one in bring your right one above your head and move your hips from the left to the right. Just like that. Good job. Next you bring you right paw down and the same thing but in the opposite direction. There you go."

Amber smiled. It felt nice to have figured it out. Ryder was really good at describing the steps just the right way. "Thank you for showing me the dance, Ryder. I just couldn't see… seem to get it for some reason," she finished quickly almost giving away her secret. She was supposed to be blending in. She didn't want to mess up so early in the game.

"No problem. Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help," he said with a chuckle. "It's the PAW Patrol's motto."

Amber smiled and after a few more bars of music, the PAW Patrol Band finished their song. The crowd applauded vigorously and cheered for their town's favorite group of pups. Mayor Goodway came back to the mic.

"Aren't they just wonderful? Give another round of applause for the pups who won this year's talent show!" Everyone clapped again. "Later on tonight we will have Tito the talented fire juggler. I'm sure his fabulous show will just have you fired up! But, until then, please enjoy the many activities set up around the square so very generously provided by some of the splendid members of our community!"

"Fired up? Hey that's my line," said Marshall getting the other pups to laugh and even some people who were close enough to the stage to hear him. "I really hope his careful."

"Don't worry, Marshall," said Rubble. "I'm sure he's professional."

As the crowd dissipated from around the stage, Amber felt like she could breathe a little easier. "So, what would you like to do first?" asked Ryder.

"Well, I know you probably want to do some stuff too, and I don't want to keep you from doing them," she answered honestly.

"I want to make sure you have fun too. And, I don't just want to leave you. Being around a large group of unfamiliar people can be a little uncomfortable, and I just want to make you feel at home. Plus, we can try taking turns in case there's something that I want to do that you don't. Deal?"

"Okay, deal," she answered with a small smile. The walked over to the lei making table where Katie was stationed.

"Hi, Ryder. And who's this adorable pup?" she asked flashing Amber a kind grin.

"This is Amber. The pups and I rescued her this morning and we're letting her stay with us until we can find her a home."

"Aw. Well, would you and Amber be interesting in making an authentic Hawaiian lei, today?" she said modeling her own and grinning.

"Sure," said Ryder laughing and taking a seat. He helped Amber climb into the seat next to him and then turned back to Katie. "What do we do first?"

"Pick your flowers," said Katie gesturing behind her to a wire shelf holding boxes of differently colored carnations.

"I think I'll take some white ones," said Ryder pointing to the appropriate box. "How about you Amber?"

"Um… I'll take some light pink ones, please."

"I'm sorry. We only have these dark pink ones," Katie said apologetically.

 _Oh man, those must be orange ones then,_ she scolded herself. "Oh, yeah, right. Sorry. I'll take those please."

"Alright, here you go," Katie said after counting about 25 or so and placing them on the table in front of her. "Now, I'll give you some string and a lei needle and we can get started. Amber began to get nervous again. How hard was this going to be? She hoped she didn't make another dumb mistake.

"Here, I'll string the needle for you. I know it might be a little tricky for yo-for any pup," he caught himself before he said something that would let Amber know what he had learned about her. Next came stringing the flowers onto the string. Katie placed Amber's needle onto of an upside-down cup so that Amber could just place her paw on top of it to hold it steady. To bring the flower to the large needle, Amber held the cut stem between her toes. The hard part was seeing the tip of the needle so that she could stick it through the center of the flower. Without noticing that Katie and Ryder were watching her, she leaned in as close as she could and squinted as hard as she could to get the two objects to meet in the right position. When she thought she had it she brought her paw closer to the other one and accidentally pricked herself. She could stop herself quick enough from yelping.

"Are you okay, Amber?" asked Katie. "Maybe this isn't such a pup-friendly craft."

"No, no. I'm okay," she rushed the words out. "I just went in too fast, that's all."

"I totally know you can do this, Amber; but just to be on the safe side, it would be my pleasure to finish your pup-sized lei for you."

"Yeah, you're right. You could definitely do it faster than a pup," Amber smiled still embarrassed at her mess up. Within a few minutes, both Ryder and Katie had finished the leis.

"There you go," said Katie tying the lei around Amber's neck careful not to rub her bandages too much. She snipped the extra string off and pet Amber on the head. "You picked a great color."

"Thanks, Katie," Ryder said waving as they walked over to the next station. It was Danny's dunk tank. The daredevil stood several feet in the air atop a surfboard shaped platform above a pool of water about eight feet deep. On the side were a target and a bucket with three small balls made to look like coconuts.

"Hey there, Ryder and pup I've never seen before," Danny called from the high platform.

"Hey, Danny. Are you sure this is safe?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. I had Zuma check it out for me yesterday. Don't worry. Go on. Take a shot! If you dunk me, you'll get a prize!"

Ryder went over to the bucket and picked up the balls. "How about you try this one, Amber?"

Like a lightning flash, a memory of her sisters came to mind. Amber remembered playing ball with her three siblings and never being able to hit the ball off her snout correctly and aim it in the right direction. "Um… no thank you, Ryder. M-my snout still kinda hurts from earlier. Why don't you try it?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Ryder took the first ball and aimed for the target. He threw it and missed the center by only an inch.

"Aw, that's too bad. You've got two more tries," said Danny.

He tried again and hit just above the center this time.

"Come on, Ryder. You've got this," encouraged Danny excitedly.

He threw the last ball and hit the target right in the middle sending Danny plummeting down into the water. On his way down, he hugged his knees in a cannon ball position and gave a jubilant cry.

"Wow, Ryder! That was great!" said Amber giving a little hop.

"Thanks, Amber. Why don't you pick out a prize?"

"But you're the one who won, Ryder."

"That's okay. I want you to have it."

 _Why is he being so nice to me? I didn't even want to try this game._

'Come on, let's see what there is," He said walking over to the prize wall.

"For getting me on the third try, you guys can pick something from the bottom row," said Danny popping out of the water.

"What would you like?" asked Ryder to Amber. Amber squinted slightly, but she couldn't tell what the brightly colored objects were.

"Um… I can't decide. You pick." Ryder looked at her and then at the wall. He reached out and picked something that looked to be the same color as the lei she was wearing. He bent down and took Amber's right paw, the one that was wrapped up, and put something over the bandage. Amber lifted her paw and held it close to her nose to get a better look but pretending she was sniffing it. She figured out it was a beaded bracelet. She watched the beads shimmer in the sun.

"Do you like it?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh, yes! It's so pretty! Thank you!" Amber gave Ryder a thankful lick.

"Aw, what a good pup," he said laughing. "Come on let's see what else we can do." The two continued along the perimeter of the square and met with Mayor Goodway who was now wearing one of Rocky's hula skirts.

"Aloha, Ryder. Aloha um…"

"Oh, this is Amber. Cap'n Turbot found her out in the middle of the ocean this morning." Said Ryder.

"Oh my! I'm glad she was brought back to shore safely. Are you enjoying the luau, Amber?" Amber nodded her head. "Aren't you just the sweetest little thing? I bet you would look lovely in one of the grass skirts that they are giving out." She walked over to a nearby table and picked up a small one. As she was bringing it over, chickaletta popped out of Mayor Goodway's purse and tried to peck at the skirt. Amber did not realize that there had been an animal in the mayor's purse and it startled her causing her to jump backward.

"Chickaletta, you naughty chicken. That is not for eating," scolded the mayor. "I'm sorry, here you go."

Ryder helped Amber into it. "Thank you," said Amber shyly.

"You are very welcome, my dear. How about you Ryder? Would you like one too. There's nothing like a hula skirt to get you into that tropical mood," she said pretending to hula.

"No thank you," he said laughing. "I'm okay."

"Alright, enjoy the rest of your time."

"See you around," he said waving. Then he turned to Amber, "Why don't we check out the limbo competition? I think I see Cap'n Turbot up next."

They walked over to where a small crowd encircled the limbo station. Chase stood by one of the poles to let the competitors know when it was their turn and announce if anyone was out. The limbo bar had already been moved down three notches and up next was Cap'n Turbot. He bent his knees and leaned back. As he walked under the bar, the crowd cheered his name. His chin passed through, then his mouth, then his nose. When he took the next step, the frame of his glasses hit the bar and went flying off his face and to the ground.

"Sorry, Cap'n Turbot. That makes you out," said Chase.

"Aw, that's too bad. I was sure I could have made it for another round. Oh well. I know the next person is longing to lean under that lowering limbo bar, but could someone please help me find my glasses?"

"Here they are," said Alex handing the lenses over to the captain.

"Thank you my boy," he said and then turned to Ryder and Amber. "Aloha, you two."

"Aloha, Cap'n Turbot," said Ryder.

"It looks like you're getting into the Pacific spirit, Amber. You look positively Polynesian. I think this deserves a picture. Good thing I brought my camera. I think this is a fine exception to my usual wildlife shots." He pulled out his camera and pointed it at Amber who sat up nice and tall. She remembered when the old man had taken pictures of her and her family. Her mother had taught her how to sit correctly and listen to the voice of the person taking the picture so that she would know where to look. The camera flashed causing little black dots to appear in Amber's eyes. She remembered those too.

"Perfect. Why don't you pop a pose little pup?"

Ryder saw the thoughtful expression on Amber's face and suggested, "Why don't you do one of the moves you learned from the hula the pups taught us?" With more of a confident look, Amber stood on her hind legs and lifted one arm up and put the other one to the side. The camera flashed a few more times. Amber didn't notice there were more than just Ryder and Cap'n Turbot watching now as she repeated the dance. That's why, when she was done, the sudden applause made her jump a little and then turn her head away to avoid looking into anyone's eyes.

"Great job remembering the dance, Amber, Ah-choo!" complimented Chase. "Sorry, it's all these flowers. It took some of us pups a couple of times to get it all down."

"T-thank you and " she said.

"Hey the sun is almost setting. Is the fire juggling guy going to perform soon?" asked Alex.

"You're right, that summer sun is sinking alright. I believe he's scheduled to perform in just a few minutes," Cap'n Turbot replied.

"Cool! I'm going to get a front row seat!" said Alex before running off toward the stage.

"Alex is right, we should probably start heading back to the stage so we can get a good view. Come on, Amber," said Ryder.

"Okay," she said turning in the direction she thought the stage was in. They had walked around so much, she was slightly confused about which side of the square they were on.  
"The stage is the other way, Amber," laughed Ryder gesturing in the opposite direction.

"Oh, yeah, right. I was just… I thought I saw something," she answered trying to cover up her mistake.

Amber and Ryder walked side by side. It was starting to get darker making it harder for Amber to see some things. She hoped that they would leave the luau before it got too dark. When they got to the front of the stage, a number of people were already taking up most of the front. They found the other pops of the PAW Patrol in a group by the right side. They found them by Chase's sneezing.

"Ah-choo!"

"Wow Chase, you haven't stopped sneezing, huh?" asked Ryder as they joined the group.

"It's not so bad as long as I'm in a place that's not so near all the- Ah-choo! Flowers,"

"It looks like more flowers are coming this way," said Ryder looking over his shoulder at all the people who started to crowd fill in the space behind them. Ryder thought for a minute and snapped his finger. "As much as we want you to watch the show here with us, how about you watch from your truck using your drone?'

"Ah-choo! Great idea, Ryder," Chase agreed. "I'll see you pups when the show is over by the snack table."

"See ya, Chase," said some of the pups in unison. "Bye," the others said right as Mayor Goodway approached the microphone.

"Is everyone ready to see Tito's fire show?" The multitude cheered. "Well here he is. Everyone say 'Aloha' to the terrifically talented Tito!"

The crowd cheered again as Tito walked onto the stage. She heard a nearby Cap'n Turbot say, "Hey, she sounded kind of like me." It made her giggle.

"Mahalo Mayor Goodway and Aloha Adventure Bay. Get ready to see the most dangerous performance the Hawaiian culture has to offer. Stand back, keep your eyes peeled, and enjoy," he took out baton and lit both ends on fire and began twirling it slowly and the faster and faster until it looked like it was drawing curved shapes in midair. Amber was amazed and terrified at the same time. One of the things at the top of her list of fears was fire, but she also really appreciated the light that it gave off. Even though she couldn't see that it was a baton he was holding, she could see what the fire was doing and that was the entertaining part of it all. Tito moved onto different objects like hoops and ropes and even did a choreographed portion with music. At the end of the show, Amber could hear one of the pups let out a long breath. She assumed it was Marshall. She had kept hearing him mutter things about safety and checking for fire extinguishers close by.

"How'd you like it, Chase?" asked Ryder into his pup pad.

"It was really cool!" came his answer of the speaker.

"Alright, the pups and I are headed over to meet you at the snack table. I think we could use a good snack after watching something so intense," he said shooting a glance at Marshall.

"Meet you there," said Chase.

The pups herded over to see what kind of snacks Mr. Porter had prepared for them. Amber heard one of the girls say that they hoped there was something with liver in it. Amber smiled as she walked by Ryder behind all the pups. Despite everything that had happened during the las few days, she was actually enjoying herself a bit. But, her joy was muffled a little by the nervous feeling she was feeling in her stomach. The sun had set and the light in the sky was quickly fading. She could kind of see the light colored part of Ryder's shirt with help from the tiki torches and strands of lights that now illuminated the square, but it was still hard. While focusing on the parts of Ryder she could still see, Amber was unable to check her footing and tripped on the leg of a table. She tumbled onto the lawn and felt her heart sink. With all the chatter from the pups and the music playing in the background, Ryder didn't notice that Amber had stopped following him. As soon as she regained her balance and turned in the direction that she had been walking she searched with wide eyes for any of the pups or Ryder or even Cap'n Turbot. She couldn't recognize anyone or hear any familiar voices. It became hard for her to see because tears had started to fog up her vision even more. She sat down and tried not to make a sound as the tears rolled down her face.

 _What if they don't even notice I'm gone? I don't want to just sit here looking lost. Then what will they think of me? But, I can't see where the best place to wait for them would be. And, what will I tell them when they do find me. I wish Pearl or Goldie or Gemma were here. I wouldn't have to be a bother to anyone if even just one of them was here. I miss you girls. I miss you too mom. You guys would've had a lot of fun here. I bet the PAW Patrol would've loved you._ As all this was going through her mind, Amber had not noticed that she had started whimpering out loud and that some people had noticed. Alex who was standing near, but was unsure what to do, saw Ryder and the pups and went over to him.

"Ryder, Ryder," he called out.

"What is it, Alex,"

"I saw-"

"Wait a minute Alex. Pups, where's Amber," he said finally noticing her absence.

"We thought she was wright behind us,Wryder," said Zuma.

"She might be checking out the coconut carvings. Those were pretty cool and they're in the direction of the snack table," suggested Rubble.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I saw her crying-"

"Crying? Where did you see her, Alex?" asked Ryder quickly.

"This way," he said and both he and Ryder briskly walked away.

"I wonder what the matter is?" asked Rocky getting nods from all the other pups.

Back a few yards, Ryder spotted Amber laying down with her head between her paws by one of the tables with the hibiscus centerpiece. He rushed over to her and cupped her chin in his hands.

"Amber, are you okay?"

At first, she wasn't sure who was talking to her, but then she noticed Ryder's scent. The tears came down even faster and Amber buried her face in Ryder's shirt.

"Amber what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

She shook her head. "I was so scared," she managed.

"Oh, Amber, I'm so sorry-"

"No, it's my fault. I didn't tell you that-"

"I already knew," he said so that only she could hear.

"What?" she said with a sniff. She lifted her head.

"I know you have trouble seeing things. I should have been watching out more now that its dark out. I wasn't sure, but I should have been more attentive in case, you know, it got harder for you to see stuff at night."

"How did you know? When did you figure it out?"

"I'll tell you when we get back to the Lookout and when you tell me why you kept such an important thing a secret," he said his voice becoming more serious. Amber nodded. "Stay right here. It's about time we all head back home. I'm going to go send the pups back and then I'll come right back to get you, okay?"

She nodded again and sat there wondering how all this was going to change everything she had worked so hard to establish. Now, more than ever, she wanted to be with her family and Blizzard, the only ones she knew who loved her as she was, no secrets.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Not the Same**

After Ryder had talked to the other pups and told Mayor Goodway that they would be back the next day to help clean up, he came back to a nervously waiting Amber. He saw the look on her face and how flat her ears were against her head.

"Amber," he started, "I would never want you to feel scared of anything, of being alone, of getting hurt, of me. I want you to feel safe. My job as the leader of the PAW Patrol and as a friend is to make sure you _are_ safe. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand," she answered lowering her head and looking up at him.

"Come on. We can talk more at the Lookout where there's less noise."

"Ryder…" she said hesitantly. "Can you… Do you… mind maybe holding my collar while we walk so I know where to go?"

"Oh course!" Amber could hear the smile in his voice.

They weaved around people, tables, and chairs and past the outer strings of lights to the now dark parking lot where Ryder and the pups had parked their vehicles. When they reached Ryder's ATV, Amber could sense that there was something in front of her, but she didn't what part of the ATV it was. She didn't have to figure it out though, because Ryder lifted her into the seat and then hopped in right after.

Now sitting comfortably away from all the music and chatter of the luau, Amber felt herself getting drowsy. Her eyelids were so desperate to be closed that they burned slightly. Curling up next to Ryder to lessen the strain on her tired muscles made her even more relaxed and within a few minutes of cruising, Amber was fast asleep.

When they finally arrived at the Lookout, the pups had already parked and gone into the Lobby. Ryder could hear them talking and laughing.

Inside, the pups were talking about everything that had happened at the luau; how yummy Mr. Porter's snacks were, how Chase was glad to be away from all the carnations and hibiscus flowers, how tense Marshall was about Tito's performance, the games, the prizes, and on and on. When Rubble was in the middle of his interpretation of when Jake tripped during the end of the limbo competition, the pup tags sounded.

"Pups?"

"What's up, Ryder? Why aren't you back yet?" asked Skye.

"Just got here with a very pooped pup. Amber fell asleep on the ride over so I'm going to need you pups to be very quiet while I bring her in."

"Yes sir," said Chase.

After the pups helped set up a spare pup bed in the lobby and Amber was placed in it. Ryder gently removed the lei and hula skirt. He left the bracelet on and set the other things to the side.

"I'd like it if all you pups could sleep here tonight. I think it would make our new pup friend feel more safe and comfortable," he said in a whisper.

"Sure thing, Ryder," said Rocky.

"Yeah, it'll be fun," said Marshall.

"As long as no one snowres to loud," said Zuma trying not to laugh too hard.

Ryder smiled and then put on a serious face. "One last thing before we go to bed. I'd like you to meet me in the observatory bright and early, without waking Amber. I have to talk to you about something extremely important." The pups nodded.

"What about Everest?" asked Skye.

"I'm going to call Jake now to let him know that I'd like her to join us on video tomorrow and possibly for lunch. Good night pups. You were all very good today."

"Good night," they all whispered before running to get their pup beds.

Back in his room, Ryder called up Jake on his pup pad.

"What's up, Ryder dude. Everest here's been telling me all the drive up here about a new pup you saved today. I think I saw her with the pups and you at the luau."

"Hi, Jake. Yeah, she was with us. Maybe I'll get a chance to introduce you to her if you guys have time to stop by the Lookout for lunch tomorrow. I was also calling actually to ask if Everest could join us over video early in the morning. I've got something I want to talk to all the pups about."

"Did we do something wrong?" came Everest's voice.

"No, nothing like that, but it is important."

"I'll wake up right when the sun starts to rise!" said Everest enthusiastically.

"Great! See you then. Good night, you two."

"Good night," came their simultaneous response.

Putting his pup pad on his bedside table, Ryder got ready for bed with a mind full of the next day's challenges.

Amber was in a deep sleep. Her mind, her body, her spirit were all exhausted. She hadn't even felt when Ryder had put her to bed or heard any of the whispering that had gone on. And, even when everyone was woken up at some point with someone else's snoring, she stayed dozing.

* * *

Around the middle of the night Amber had a dream that everyone was treating her funny because of an ugly collar she was wearing and couldn't take off. Mayor Goodway, Cap'n Turbot, even the pups weren't letting her join in on what they were doing. Then Ryder appeared and put his hand on the back of her neck.

"Why aren't you playing with the other pups?" he asked in her dream.

"They don't like me anymore because of this silly collar," said Amber struggling to remove it.

"Here, let me help you take it off." In seconds, Ryder had rid Amber of the atrocious collar and everyone could be seen walking toward her with big smiles. Amber turned to the side to thank Ryder, but in his place stood Amber's old owner.

"Here you are, Amber. I've been looking all over for you. You shouldn't have run away, naughty puppy. You need to come with me, now. The sooner I get you to the shelter, the sooner I can be sure you'll be right where you need to be," he said.

"But, you can't. No one will pick me. You have to listen to me. Please let me stay here. Please!" Amber wiggled and resisted the old man's hold on her. She looked back for the pups and Ryder and they looked like they were coming, but not fast enough. The dream quickly turned into a nightmare. Amber had finally started to feel like she was accepted somewhere and then something happened to take it all away from her.

* * *

Back at the Lookout, Amber's legs and arms twitched. As she yelled in her dream, outside her dream, she could be heard barking and growling quietly and whimper every so often. The noise woke Zuma up who moaned and rolled over onto his back before realizing what it was that woke him. He heard a growl which startled him onto his paws.

"What was that?" he whispered." He looked around the darkened room and saw all the pups fast asleep. When his gaze reached Amber he saw that she was scratching at the ground in her sleep. She gave out a whimper. "Aw, I think she's having a nightmawre."

He walked over and tried to wake her up. "Hey, Ambewr," he said, "I think youwr having a bad dwream."

Amber gasped awake and then growled at him.

"Woah, I didn't mean to make you angwry. You wewre totally just having a dwream owr something," he whispered taking a step back.

Amber could tell it was Zuma talking to her by the way he was speaking. "I'm sorry, Zuma. I didn't know it was you. I thought it was someone from the nightmare I was having." She tried looking in the direction from where she heard his voice. It was too dark for her even to make out a silhouette.

"As long as you'wre not mad at me," he said.

"No, I'm actually glad you woke me up. Nightmares are not fun."

"Tell me about it, dude. I get them too sometimes."

"You do?"

"Totally. They'wre mostly about ghosts. Those things give me the chills."

"Oh, I've never had a dream about ghosts. My mom told me they're not real."

"That's what Wryder tells me, but that doesn't make them less scawry."

The two sleepy pups stood there. Amber was afraid of going back to sleep. She did not want to have the same dream again. Zuma yawned and Amber realized that she had probably been the one who woke him up in the first place.

"I guess we should go back to sleep now, huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, Wryder wants- we'wre supposed to do something tomowrow, eawrly in the mowrning."

"Oh, I'm sorry I woke you up."

"No pwroblem. Awre you going to be okay. Sometimes it's hawrd for me to go back to sleep aftewr I had a nightmawre.'

"Yeah, it's actually hard for me too."

"Sleeping with a toy owr something always helps me."

Amber gasped. Where was Little Blue? She hadn't seen her since she arrived at the Lookout the first time. Zuma saw the look of worry in her face.

"What's wrong?"

"I just remembered that I haven't seen Li- that bear that I brought with me since before lunch time."

"Oh, you mean the blue one that I wrescued from the watewr?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"It's wright hewre," Amber heard Zuma walk around her bed to the other side. Ryder had place Little Blue there so Amber could find it. Zuma picked it up and placed in front of her, "Hewre you go."

Amber felt embarrassed that she didn't know Little Blue was there all along. "Oh, hehe thank you," she said. "I guess I didn't look that way."

"That's okay," Zuma said yawning again. "Now we can both go back to sleep. See you tomowrow."

"Good night," said Amber and then she curled up with her bandaged up bear and fell into a more restful sleep.

* * *

Morning came around and Ryder was already up and preparing for the day. He came into the lobby and gently woke the other pups being careful not to wake Amber. Once all the pups were up, they all got onto the elevator some yawning, some rubbing their eyes. Marshall started to nod off again and began leaning to one side. He eventually no longer could hold himself up and landed on top of a groggy Zuma who then fell on top of Rubble who had his mouth open getting ready to yawn. The three pups were startled out of their haze and tried shaking the sleepiness away. Chase, Rocky, Skye gave a small giggle before being catching Rubble's contagious yawn. Then, the whole elevator was full of pup laughter.

When they got to the observatory, they all lined up to wait patiently for what important information Ryder was going to offer.

"PAW Patrol ready for action, Ryder, sir?" said Chase not sure if there was some kind of mission they were supposed to be deployed on. Everyone stood at attention.

"Sorry you had to wake up so early, pups. I know you must all be tired after last night's excitement. I called you all here to talk about Amber," said Ryder pulling out his pup pad to call Everest.

The pups looked at each other. They knew that they were supposed to be helping her get back to wherever her home was, but why had Ryder not wanted her to be there too. Just then, Everest popped up on the big screen.

"Good morning, Ryder. Good morning, pups," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Everest," they all said.

"I know we haven't had much time to spend together with Amber and really get to know her. What we do know about her is that she can be pretty shy, she likes stories and that teddy bear of hers, and that she must come from somewhere north of Adventure bay," said Ryder to all the pups who were now nodding in agreement. "Yesterday, I asked her if she could tell me about her owner and she told me that he had left her at the beach and didn't want her anymore."

"Oh no," said some the pups while others remarked in a similar fashion.

"I'm not sure if she's giving me all the details, but what's even more mysterious is a secret she has been keeping from us."

"A secret? What kind of secret?" asked Marshall with a confused look.

"Amber's got something… wrong with her eyes, probably something she's had since she was born."

"What do you mean 'wrong,' Ryder?" asked Skye with a frown.

"Her eyes don't work the same way ours do. She has trouble seeing things that we might find easy to notice."

"But, she can't be blind, Ryder. She seemed pretty fine yesterday," Rubble pointed out.

"She's not blind in the sense that she can't see anything at all, but I know that this is something that can't just be fixed with a pair of pup glasses."

"Thewre awre eye glasses fowr pups?" asked Zuma.

"Yes," laughed Ryder. "And they might help Amber a bit, but I noticed that her eyes shake a bit and she has trouble seeing things at her feet of to the side if she's looking straight ahead. I've also noticed that she has even more trouble seeing things when it gets dark."

"Yeah, I totally noticed that last night. When I woke hewr up from a nightmawre, she was talking to me but it didn't look like hewr eyes wewre looking at anything at all," Zuma said.

Ryder nodded. "I also noticed that she has a little trouble telling some colors apart."

"Oh wow, poor pup. That's a lot of stuff that's wrong with her eyes," said Chase.

"And the reason I'm telling you this is not so that you treat her with sympathy, but so that you can understand what it might be like for her and so that you can better know how to act around her."

"But, Ryder, why did she keep something like that a secret," Rocky asked.

"I'm not really sure. It could be because she wasn't sure how to tell us. It could also be because she thinks we will treat her differently because of it or not want her like she says her owner didn't."

"I wouldn't do that," said Everest starting a chain of "me neither" from the rest of the pups.

"I know you wouldn't. You are all very good pups, but there are people and pups out there that don't understand what it means to be a pup like Amber and they might treat her like she's less than she is."

"But, how do we act correctly around her, Ryder?" asked Rubble.

"Only she knows exactly what the best way is, but there are some simple things you can do. If you want to talk to her, say her name first. She might not see that you're trying to get her attention. Also, if we're coming in from outside, it would probably be helpful to lend a paw and help her walk into the room. It might be hard for her to see after being in the bright sun. Oh, and it helps too if you describe things to her that are too far for her to see, which seems to be anything further than a paw's reach away."

"That's a lot of things to wremembewr," said Zuma scratching his head.

"How do you know all this stuff, Ryder?" asked Rocky. The pups were always used to seeing Ryder as really smart. He was superior with anything technology based and he knew a lot about other things too. He was like an encyclopedia. He was the one who helped Marshall become the great medic pup that he was and helped the others hone their skills as well, but they hadn't actually heard him talk about a subject like this.

Ryder laughed realizing that he might have been giving the pups too much to take in so early in the morning, but he couldn't help his concern. "I'm sorry pups. I know it's something new to you. We've never had to deal with something like this before. I was actually doing some thinking this morning about things I noticed yesterday that seemed to work. I'm sure that we can find some other ways to help her out, but first we need to get to know her a little better."

"Definitely," said Skye enthusiastically.

"As of right now, she only thinks I know about her secret. So during breakfast today, try not to let her know that you know."

"You've got it, Ryder, Sir," said Chase

After the other pups agreed as well, they all loaded the elevator and Everest ended the call with Ryder. Everyone's tummy was growling. All this serious talk had made everyone really hungry.

When the elevator reached the bottom and the doors opened, the pups reminded each other to be quite as Ryder went over to wake Amber. Chase turned on a few of the lights.

"Wake up sleepy head," Ryder said rubbing the part of Amber's back that did not have a bandage on it. She stretched and yawned.

"Is it morning already?" she asked with another yawn.

"Yup, almost time for breakfast."

"Oh," she said rubbing her eyes.

"Come on pups. Let's clean up your pup beds and then I can serve you all some food," Ryder called out behind him to the group of pups who stood like statues just outside the elevator door. Amber wondered why they were all over there and not in their beds, but didn't give much thought to it.

Once everything was cleared off the floor, Ryder placed a bowl of kibble in front of each pup. Every pup dug in happily. The pups didn't know if she could tell and hoped she didn't, but at different points between eating, each of them would stare over at Amber. It was hard to look at her the same after finding out what they did. They were nervous that they would end up doing something that would give that away and of not doing something to keep her safe.

Eventually, all the bowls were emptied and the pups were now taking a drink of water. Once everyone had their fill, Ryder called them into a circle on the floor.

"I know we didn't finish introducing each other yester because Mayor Goodway called. So, I thought we could finish that now before she calls again," said Ryder getting some of the pups to laugh. "How about we take turns asking Amber a question and then she can ask one back?"

"Oo, oo, me first. What's your favorite animal? I like bunnies and birdies and anything cute," said Skye.

"I like cute animals too," said Amber with a smile. It was nice to find that she had something in common with one of the pups. "What are you pups' favorite color?"

"I like pink," said Skye.

"Mine's yellow," said Rubble.

"I like green," said Rocky.

"My favorite color is red," said Marshall.

"My favowrite colowr is owrange," said Zuma.

"And I like blue," said Chase. He then added, "but that's okay if you can't remember them all," since he saw that she was having trouble keeping up with which pup said what. She was working hard at putting names to a voice to a not so clear image of a specific pup. Amber smiled at Chases comment.

"What kind of games to you like to play?" asked Marshall wagging his tail at the thought.

"Well, I kinda like playing tug of toy and ball I guess," she answered.

"I love those games too," said Marshall, "and hide and seek, oh and Pup Pup Boogie!"

The other pups all exclaimed in agreement. Amber feeling more open to talking with the pups asked, "What's Pup Pup Boogie?"

"Only the most fun dance game ever!" said Skye standing on her hind legs.

"Totally!" agreed Zuma

"Hey, maybe you pups can teach Amber how to play later?" Ryder suggested.

"Oh, yeah! That would be so fun!" said Marshall attempting do one of the spinning moves from the game. He ended up losing balance and landing in Ryder's lap on the floor. "I'm good."

Everyone laughed and Marshall returned to his spot in the circle.

"Are you okay, Marshall?" asked Amber. She knew it was him because she could see his black Dalmatian spots.

"Oh, yeah. That happens sometimes, a lot actually," he said with a laugh.

"Have you met a pup who wipes out more than Marshall?" asked Rubble rhetorically with a giggle.

"Well, back home, I'm usually the clumsy one of all us pups," answered Amber.

The pups grew silent. They remembered what Ryder had said about her owner leaving her on the beach and didn't know what to say next. Amber also was unsure of what to say. She had just given something away about the past she was trying to hide. Everyone finally exhaled when Ryder received a call on his pup pad.

"Good morning, Ryder," sang Mayor Goodway.

"Good morning," he said. "Is the cleanup started yet?"

"Everyone is just getting here to help. With you and the pups here, I'm sure we will be done by noon."

"I'll send the pups right over. I'm also sending Robo-Dog in my place. I have something I need to take care of here at the Lookout. I hope that's okay."

"As long as you're sure your robot pup isn't going to… you know… malfunction again."

"I promise," Ryder laughed not taking offense. He remembered the couple of times his robot hadn't exactly been the best help. "I've triple checked him this time and I am absolutely sure he will do his job right."

"If you say so, Ryder. I trust you. I guess I will see the pups in a few minutes then."

"No job is too big! No pup is too small!" The call ended and Ryder turned to the pups. "Alright, pups, the faster we get the town's square looking nice and clean, the faster you can come play Pup Pup Boogie with Amber."

"The PAW Patrol is on a roll, Ryder, sir," said Chase before dashing off to his vehicle with the rest of the pups right behind him.

Then Ryder turned to Amber. "Now I've got a question for you," he said with a gentle smile.

Amber gulped and looked at him in anticipation. She had revealed something huge to him only the night before. For the first part of the morning, it had felt like that never even happened, like it was all part of the nightmare she had. Ryder had still treated her nicely this morning. Was that just because it was his job of keeping her safe, like he said the night before? He also said last night that he was her friend and that was after she told him of her problem. Now, everything was real again. What was he going to do with her? Now that he knew she had lied about one thing, would he still believe what she said about her owner? She took a deep breath and spoke up before he could ask his question.

"I'm sorry again for not telling you about my eyes, Ryder. I really am. I was just… just scared I guess," she said trying not to look at his face.

"Scared of what?"

"Of how you would treat me, of what you're going to do with me now that you know."

"How do you think I would have treated you if I had known sooner? You don't think I would have hurt you, do you?"

Amber was silent for a bit gathering her thoughts. "I thought you would have just tried to get rid of me like my owner. No one wants a problem pup."

"It would be mean of anyone to only look at a pup and judge them by what kind of 'problems' they had. You're not a 'problem pup,' Amber. You're a regular little pup who just has a few more challenges to deal with than some other pups. That doesn't make you any less a good pup. Just because your eyes don't work as well as they can doesn't mean that I or anyone else should treat you badly," Ryder said looking straight into Amber's sad little face.

"But I can't do a lot of the things that normal pups can. I can't play catch. I can't run very far without tripping or bumping into anything. I can't do anything that a good pup's supposed to do."

"I know that you have trouble doing all those things and it may seem impossible, but that doesn't mean that you can't ever do them. You just have to do things differently. And being a good pup isn't measured by how many things you can do or how well you do them."

Amber thought of what she had learned about the pups of the PAW Patrol. Marshall was always falling over something, just like she did, but Ryder had him as their fire pup and medic pup. Even though Marshall was clumsy and silly he had a very big job and one that he did very well from what she experienced. Out of all the pups, Marshall was the only one who could be the best fire and medic pup. And, if it was like that with Marshall, she was sure that the other pups weren't as "perfect" as she thought pups had to be to be looked at as important.

"What makes a good pup, Ryder," Amber asked softly now looking back at him.

"I'm going to tell you something I tell my pups when their feeling like they can't do something as well as other pups can. Just do your best and forget about the rest."

"Your pups feel like that sometimes?"

"Yeah, they're not like Robo-Dog. They can feel discouraged or scared just like any other pup. Those things are normal," he said scratching Amber behind the ears. "You just have to remember that the only pup you're trying to be better than is yourself. Everything you do shouldn't be because you're comparing yourself to another pup but because you want to be the best you."

Amber nodded. It still was going to be hard for her. Back home she always felt comfortable around her sisters and Blizzard because they were always nice to her. They grew up with her so they knew exactly how to help her out and how to play with her and everything. Now, at the Lookout with the PAW Patrol it felt different. Even though Ryder had made her feel a little less intimidated by the pups, she wasn't sure how things were going to go.

"Amber?" asked Ryder getting her attention.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to talk about what really happened to you yesterday?"

 _Oh, no. He knows I didn't tell him everything. What do I do?._ Amber decided that if she was going to tell Ryder what happened, she was going to tell him everything so that he knew exactly why she did what she did. "Well, to start, my owner didn't really leave me at the beach. He actually doesn't know where I am and is probably still looking for me."

"What? Amber, did you run away? Why would you do that?"

Amber told him her whole long story starting with the miserable days when people had come to look at her and her sisters. She continued with the part about being left alone and then hiding in the box in Blizzard's yard and ending up in the recycling bin and being taken all the way to the pier and being left with the family with the little boy who laughed at her. She finished with how she ended up tangled in the lifejacket and floating off into the ocean and by this point, she was fighting back a huge knot in her throat. After hearing the story come from her own mouth she started to second-guess a lot of what happened. The old man never wanted her to end up alone and sad. He only wanted to bring her to a shelter so that she could finally find a place where she would be loved just as much as he loved her. And, the little boy didn't know that she had bad eyes. He only found it funny that she wiped out trying to catch Little Blue. The pups laugh when Marshall does one of his silly stunts. Even Marshall laughs at his own blunders.

Ryder stayed quiet for an uncomfortable amount of time. He came to sit next to Amber on the floor and looked straight at the wall in front of them. He finally returned her gaze and surprised Amber not by talking but by giving her a hug. He didn't have to say anything. She could feel it all through his embrace. He told her he was sorry that she had such a rough time, he was sorry that she ended up so far away from the people she loved most, he was sorry she was hurting. He then looked at her and continued the conversation vocally. She couldn't tell that he had tears in his eyes but she heard him sniffle a little before speaking.

"I know you might be scared about me doing this, but I'm going to have to get in contact with your owner and let him know that you're safe."

"Okay, Ryder. I know that's the best thing to do," she said after a deep breath.

"When I do get a hold of him, I would actually like you to talk to him too. I feel like you'll be able to clear some things up if you do." Amber knew he was right. He gave her a light pat on the back before saying, "Come on. Let's go up to the Observatory. Maybe I can find some information on the computer."

Amber stood up and began to walk with Ryder to the elevator but then stopped. "Ryder, do you think the pups figured out that I have trouble seeing?"

"No, they actually didn't know until I told them this morning. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before I met with them. I just wanted to make sure they knew so they could better know how to help you out."

"I understand. I wasn't being very honest and that's not a way of treating your friends. Right?"

"Right. Now let's go find us a missing owner," Ryder said laughing with Amber at his joke.

Up in the Observatory, Ryder looked up Cape Catfish's registered missing dogs. He scrolled through the list.

"Wow, there are quite a few pups gone missing in your town, Amber," he commented.

"We don't have anything like the PAW Patrol over there to help them out," she said.

"Here you are," he said clicking on a picture of Amber that was taken about a month ago when the pups were first put up for adoption. "He's only got a phone number and address here. I'll give him a call and leave him a message if he doesn't pick up, but if he doesn't respond in a day or two, we might have to take a trip out to see him."

Amber nodded. _It would be great to see him again and Blizzard and Rachel and maybe even Mom and my sisters,_ she thought with hope in her eyes.

Ryder dialed the number. For a good few seconds all they could hear was ringing. Then, right before Ryder was going to hang up and try again a voice came from the other side. Because the old man didn't have a phone with video capability, his face didn't appear on the big screen, but Amber recognized his voice instantly.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hello. Is this Mr. Sabello?"

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"

"My name's Ryder, sir. I am calling about a pup you've been looking for."

Amber could hear him become more energetic. "Have you found her?"

"Yes, sir. I have her right here."

"Oh my sweet little Amber! How is she?"

"She's doing fine, a little scratched up, but other than that she's great!"

"Can I please talk to her?" Ryder held out his pup pad so that Amber could speak.

"Hello?" she said slowly not sure if he was going to respond.

"Amber! Oh Amber! I'm so glad you're okay! I've had almost the whole town looking for you. What happened to you? Where are you now?"

"I'm in Adventure Bay with the PAW Patrol. I'm sorry I left. I heard you weren't going to be taking care of pups anymore and I heard you tell Rachel that you were planning to take me to the shelter. I guess I thought I was only being a problem for you and I didn't want to go through that at the shelter so I decided to hide but then ended being driven away and then floating in the ocean and then saved by the PAW Patrol. And I'm so sorry," she managed to fit all in one breath.

"I'm so happy you're safe. And I'm so sorry you felt that way. I'm getting too old to give you the kind of love and attention you need as a young pup. I would only wish that you find a nice home with nice people who can keep you safe. Oh, Amber I've been so worried about you. I've barely slept thinking that something had happened to you."

"Don't worry anymore, please. I'm safe now. Ryder and the PAW Patrol have been taking very good care of me. I am so sorry for making you sad. I miss you and Mom and Pearl and Goldie and Gemma and Rachel and Blizzard," and the knot in her throat started to grow again.

"Oh, your poor mother has been worried sick. She would love to know that you are okay." Then the old man became slightly more serious. "Ryder, could you please do me a very big favor?"

"I'll see what I can do. What is it?"

"Would you please find someone who would take the best of care of my little Amber? You seem like a very responsible young man and I am sure you and your Pup Brigade would do a much better job than I could. And, it sounds like she's been enjoying herself better than she would at a shelter."

Amber held her breath. She would love to get a chance to see her Cape Catfish friends and family again so that they could see for themselves that she was doing fine, but she also would love to stay with Ryder and the pups a little longer. She was only just getting to open up to them and already saw them as great friends.

"I would love to do that for you," said Ryder to Amber's delight. "Amber is such a special pup. I'm there are plenty of families who would give anything for a pup like her."

"Thank you, Ryder. I knew you were the right person."

"I can also arrange a trip out for Amber to see you if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful. I'll contact the people who are now caring for her mother and siblings and get back to you with a day that we can all meet back at my house."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Talk to you soon."

"Alright. Good-bye." And they both hung up.

Ryder and Amber looked at each other with big smiles. For the first time in a long while, Amber felt confident that everything was going to be okay. Life was definitely going to be different from how it was a week ago, but it was alright. Amber knew for sure that she could trust Ryder and that this was just the beginning of another adventure, one that Amber didn't have to brave alone.

"The Pup Brigade?" said Amber with a giggle. She found it silly that Mr. Sabello had messed up the PAW Patrol's name. Both her and Ryder laughed about it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: In Someone Else's Paws**

The pups rigs could be heard returning to their spots and Ryder and Amber went eagerly to the elevator to greet the pups.

"How was the cleanup, pups?" Ryder Asked stepping out of the elevator door.

"It went by so fast, especially with Robo-Dog helping out," said Rocky.

"That's great. I'm glad to hear nothing bad happened," replied Ryder with a relieved look on his face.

"Well, everything went fine, except for the part where Marshall got all tangled up in the strings of lights and Robo-Pup almost packed him away with the rest of the decorations," giggle Skye. Everyone else joined in laughing.

"Thank goodness Chase stopped him in time. It took while to untangle me, though," added Marshall.

"I'm glad you pups finished so quickly. You all must be pretty hungry from working so fast," Ryder said.

"Oh, yeah!" shouted Rubble.

"Alright then let's have some lunch. I've got some exciting news to tell you," Ryder said leading the pack of murmuring pups into the Lookout. Once everyone was served, Ryder began his announcement. "So, first Amber would like to let you pups know something."

"What is it?" asked Zuma.

"I guess it's more like I'd like to ask you pups to forgive me for not telling you everything about myself, including the part about my eyes," she started looking at each of the pups. "I just didn't want you to treat me differently from any other normal pup; but I know that you pups are really nice and wouldn't ever do that and you don't deserve to be lied to by someone who thinks of you like friends."

"Aw. We think of you as a friend too, Amber," said Skye.

"Back at my old home, I was being given up for adoption along with my three sisters and mom. I guess I based my image of people off of those who came to look at us and wouldn't pick me because I had problems with my vision. I know now that not everyone's like that and that sometimes it may be hard to know how to act in a situation that's new or different."

"You don't have to be sorry, Amber. We can understand that you were scared of being treated the same way by us because you didn't know us," said Chase. "It wasn't very safe for you to be pretending you could see things that you couldn't. You could have gotten really hurt."

"Yeah, I know. I promise I won't keep anything like that from you pups again."

"Good. I'm glad we're all on the same page now. Now comes the news. Just a few minutes ago, before you pups came back, Amber and I were on the phone with her old owner," Ryder began.

"The one who left hewr on the beach?" asked Zuma in surprise.

"Not exactly," said Ryder turning Amber making sure she got his cue.

"That's something else I have to tell you. The real reason I ended up on the beach was because I ran away," Amber said feeling ashamed.

"Your owner must have been so worried," said Skye.

"He was, which is why we called him, but everything is all settled now. Which leads me back to the news. Amber's owner is very old and can't take care of pups anymore. He's given us the mission of finding Amber a new home and until we do Amber will be staying with us at the Lookout!"

"Wow, really?" asked Marshall wagging his tail

"This is going to be the best mission ever!" exclaimed Skye doing a flip.

"You mean, you don't mind that I'm going to be here for a while?" asked Amber.

"Of course not!" said Rubble.

"Yeah! It'll be great having another girl pup around the Lookout. Especially now that it's summertime, Everest doesn't come down here very often. She's more about the ice and snow," said Skye giggling.

"Speaking of that furry little pup, she was supposed to meet up with us for lunch. I wonder where she could be?" pondered Ryder.

"Here I am!" called Everest as she opened the lobby door. "I hope I didn't miss lunch."

"Don't worry, we saved you a bowl," said Ryder pointing to the untouched bowl of kibble that was waiting patiently for her.

"Great! I'm so hungry!"

"We were just talking about our newest mission," said Ryder as Everest took her first bite.

"Who's in trouble? Ice or snow, I'm ready to go!"

"No one is really in trouble," said Ryder chuckling. "And technically the mission hasn't started yet, but we will be starting a search for a new home for Amber who'll be staying at the Lookout with us until then."

"That's great! I'll definitely try to come down here more often! It'll be the best summer ever!" exclaimed Everest.

"How about after lunch we can all play ball outside since it's such a beautiful day," suggested Marshall remembering it was one of the games Amber liked.

"Yeah!" everyone agreed.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," said Ryder.

Outside, the pups all got in a large circle while Rubble retrieved the ball. Amber was excited. She loved playing games where everyone could play together. As soon as she saw Rubble coming back kicking the ball, however, she started to have that nervous feeling again. She was never really good at catching or aiming the ball. She didn't want to ruin the game for the other pups. Ryder, of course, noticed the look on her face and came over to talk to her.

"Is everything okay, Amber. You look like you don't want to play anymore," Ryder said softly.

"I just remembered, I'm not very good at playing catch," she whispered back to him.

"Remember what I told you. Do your best," he started.

"And forget about the rest," she finished with a small smile.

"That's right. Why don't you let the pups know how to best play with you before the game starts. Go on. Don't be shy. Just take a deep breath and let them know what's on your mind." He stood up and took his spot again outside the circle.

"Alright! Who's ready to play ball?" asked Rubble as he found a spot in the circle.

"Before we play, c-can I ask you pups s-something," Amber said trying to keep calm.

"Sure," said Chase.

"When it's my turn to catch the ball, can you just roll it over to me?"

"Totally!" said Zuma enthusiastically.

"Yeah. We want you to have fun too, Amber," said Rubble.

"A-and do you mind calling my name before passing it to me?" Amber asked hesitant to add yet another rule to the pup's game.

"No problem," said Marshall.

"Is that all?" asked Skye.

"One more thing," Amber said with a smile. "Let's play!"

"Head's up, Chase! Here comes the Rubble Rocket Kick!" The pups laughed and barked happily as the ball zigzagged around the circle. The pups ended up calling out each other's name whether or not the ball was headed for Amber. Amber appreciated that. It helped her get better at knowing the pups' names.

Sometimes, the ball would roll toward Amber so fast that she would miss it. Either Rocky, to her right, or Rubble, to her left, would eagerly retrieve it for her. Amber was thankful for their help, but she wished she wouldn't keep missing it. She felt like she was making the game less fun for the other pups. She started to feel a little better when she saw she wasn't the only pup who missed the ball occasionally. Marshall, in an attempt to catch the ball in midair, ended up jumping over the ball and falling into a roll on the ground. He kept rolling until Everest stopped him with her paw like she would a soccer ball.

"Nice catch, Everest," Marshall said dizzily. The game had to stop for a bit while the pups regained their composure after a good hard laugh. It was one of the funnier things that happened during the game, right next to the time when Rocky served the ball to Marshall who missed the ball with his head and hit it with his back. The ball then bounced toward the spot between Rubble and Skye. Both pups aimed for the ball but got each other instead and landed with Skye on top of Rubble. The ball finally fell to the ground slowly rolled its way toward Amber stopping right at her paws.

"Got it!" she exclaimed pouncing on the ball. The pups thought it was hilarious.

After their long game, the pups were pretty hot ant thirsty. After Zuma begged him, Marshall agreed to spray down the pups with his water cannons. Rocky, of course, said he was better off drinking a nice cool bowl of water safe behind the door of the lobby. Amber had so much fun getting sprinkled and being surprised when Marshall would come behind her to spray. Even Ryder got pretty wet.

It didn't take to long for the pups to dry off. Amber had enjoyed herself so much; she hadn't noticed that some of the bandages had come loose.

"Hey, Amber," said Ryder walking over to her. "Why don't you let Marshall replace some of those for you. It'll be good to keep your cuts covered with clean, dry bandages."

"You're right, Ryder. Sorry I soaked you so much, Amber. Come on." Since he was already in uniform, he had bandages already with him. He removed the old ones and looked at her cuts. "It looks like your cuts are healing nicely. I'm still going to have to wrap some of them up. The ones by your ear and tail seem to be fine, though."

He cleaned them up. It stung a little but not as badly as the first time. As Marshall went over the different spots on her body where she had crashed against the rocks, she was reminded of the bruises she still had. He took out the new bandages and wrapped her up again.

"You've been a very good patient," he said. They both laughed and then Amber remembered Little Blue.

"Where's Ryder," she asked.

"He's right over there," said Marshall. "Why?"

"I just remembered something," Amber said looking around. She wasn't sure where exactly Marshall had pointed out and couldn't see him.

"Oh," said Marshall and then realizing that Amber was still trying to see where Ryder was he added, "follow me!"

Amber walked next to Marshall. Half way to the tree where Ryder was sitting with Rubble, Marshall didn't seem to notice that one of the pups had left a tug toy in the middle of the yard. Surprisingly, he walked passed it, but Amber tripped on it and ended up doing a front flip and landing right in front of Marshall on her side. Marshall then tripped over Amber as she was beginning to get back up. Marshall sent the two of them rolling all the way over to Ryder.

"Are we going to play leap frog now?" asked Rubble with a chuckle.

Both Amber and Marshall stood up, shook, and said, "I'm good."

"I should have been watching better where you were going, Amber. I'm sorry," apologized Marshall.

"That's okay," she said even though the rolling kind of hurt a bit.

"Looks like we're going to have to watch out if Marshall is ever leading you around," said Ryder jokingly.

After laughing, Amber remembered what she had come to ask Ryder about. "Ryder?"

"Yes?"

"Marshall did a great job with my bandages, but there's still someone who needs a little help."

"Really? Who's that?" Ryder asked. Amber tilted her head and gave Ryder a look that reminded him instantly. He snapped his fingers and said, "Oh, that's right."

Amber nodded. She didn't want to make a big deal about Little Blue, especially in front of the other pups. Even though Zuma said he would sometimes sleep with a toy, she wasn't sure what the other pups thought. Ryder seemed to understand.

"Come on," he said and Amber followed him to the lobby passing Rocky on their way in. Ryder took out his pup pad and called up Katie.

"Oh, hi, Ryder!" she answered cheerfully. "Is one of your pups due for a bath, today?"

"No," he laughed. "we've actually got a bear that's in need of some stitching."

"A bear?" Katie asked surprised making Ryder and Amber laugh.

"Don't worry, it's stuffed," he replied holding up Little Blue for her to see.

"Oh," she said sharing the laughter. "I see. Is that Amber next to you?"

"Yeah," he said turning the paw pad to give Katie a better view.

"Hi Amber! How are you doing today? Is that your bear?"

"I'm fine," answered Amber shyly. "And, yeah, Lit- my bear got a little ripped up yesterday."

"I'd be happy to fix up your bear. Just bring it over to the pet salon in town and I'll fix it up when I've got some free time," Katie said with a smile.

"Thanks Katie. I'll bring it over in a few." He ended the call and then looked at Amber. "How would you like to go into town with me? You know, just so you're bear doesn't get nervous when we leave her at Katie's."

"Okay," said Amber with a slight smile. She didn't really like being far from Little Blue, but she knew that Katie was going to stop her from falling more apart. "Just so Little Blue doesn't get scared."

"Little Blue? Is that her name?" asked Ryder smiling wide. He had noticed Amber's attempts to not say her teddy's name.

Amber couldn't breathe for a second. She couldn't believe that she had actually let Ryder know. "Yes," she said looking away embarrassed.

"I think it's a cute name," he told her. "Why didn't you want anyone to know?"

"I didn't want you to think I was silly for naming my bear and talking to it," she answered.

"It's not silly. I think it's nice to have a friend who's as great of a listener as Little Blue. The pups name things all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, now let's go tell the pups we're going to be out for a while." They walked outside where they saw the pups having a tugging competition. It was Chase, Rocky, and Rubble against Marshall, Zuma, Everest, and Skye. Chases team was almost winning. In the middle of the two teams was a muddy puddle that had been made earlier when Marshall had been spraying everyone with his water cannon.

"We'll be back, pups. We're just going to Katie's really quick for something. Don't get too dirty. We're going to play Pup Pup Boogie when we get back," Ryder called out to the growling pups.

"Alright!" shouted Marshall excitedly accidentally letting go of the toy and sending Everest, Skye and Zuma flying into the mud. "Oops."

The last thing they saw was Zuma and Skye pulling Marshall into the muck with them while Chase and the others celebrated.

After the pups finally got the last of the mud rinsed out of their ears and out from between their toes they all went inside to take a break from the sun.

"I wonder why Ryder and Amber are going to Katie's?" asked Skye.

"I think Katie's going to sew up that beawr of hewrs," said Zuma. "I saw Ambewr cawrying it with hewr."

"Oh, that's good. That's the only thing the pup's got left from her old home," said Marshall.

"I hope we can find someone who can take care of her like Ryder takes care of us," said Rubble.

"Yeah, Ryder is great!" said Rocky

"And really smart too," said Chase. "Just look at all the stuff he's made for us to make the PAW Patrol such a great rescue team."

"I hope that the family Amber ends up with gives her yummy pup food and plays lots of games with her," said Everest.

"And gives her a nice pup house to sleep in," said Rubble.

"And have a super tall tower with a cool elevator and fun slide," added Marshall.

"Marshall, only the Lookout looks like that," said Chase.

"Oh, yeah," said Marshall laughing. "The Lookout _is_ a pretty great place to live."

"Yeah, if only Amber could live here with us. She's so sweet and fun," said Skye while some of the other pups nodded in agreement.

"Even though the Lookout is one of the best places to live," started Chase.

"And Jake's Mountain," added Everest.

"I don't think it's the right place for Amber to stay, pups," he finished.

"Why do you say that, Chase," asked Zuma for all the pups who were thinking the same thing.

"What if there's a mission that we all have to go on. It would be too dangerous for Amber to come, and if she stays at the Lookout she'll be all by herself," Chase answered.

"But, that happens to any pup whose owners have to go to work and to school," countered Rocky gaining the approval of some of the pups.

"What if the mission is somewhere far away? Now that we have the Air Patroller, we can travel farther than we ever have. Those kinds of missions could last more than a day. We wouldn't want to be leaving her behind like that. She would feel left out all the time," Chase responded.

"You're right, Chase. It's definitely sad that she can't stay here with us, but we can still do our best to find her the second best place to live. And that doesn't mean we can't make her feel at home while she _is_ living here at the Lookout," Skye said wagging her tail enthusiastically.

"Yeah. She already seems to be having a lot of fun here with us, but I think she still might be home sick," Zuma pointed out.

"That's true," said Marshall. "The pup's been through a lot. We've got to make her feel like one of the pack. You know, like one of the family. She could really use a group of pups who will be there for her like her family back home was."

"Yeah, so that even when she does find a new home, she should always feel like she's got another home at the Lookout, just like I do," said Everest.

The pups continued talking about what kinds of things they would do with Amber and what funny mission stories they would share. They talked about taking her to the beach, Jake's Mountain, the forest, and to the best places in town. They made a list of new games they could play and so on and so forth. They were very excited to help their new friend feel welcomed.

* * *

It was pretty busy at Katie's since it was the weekend so Ryder and Amber didn't have much time to talk. Ryder did get to mention that Amber would be staying at the Lookout and asked if Katie would be willing to help PAW Patrol find Amber a good home. Katie, of course, was more than willing. She also took a quick look at Little Blue and assured Amber that she would return her looking good as new by tomorrow.

"Thanks Katie!" called Ryder as he and Amber walked out of the door. Katie waved from the bathing station where she was shampooing a rather unenthusiastic cat.

"Are you sure Little Blue will be okay?" asked Amber in a soft voice so that only Ryder could hear her even though there was no one else within earshot. She was starting to regret leaving Little Blue overnight somewhere. Couldn't Katie just come over to the Lookout another day and fix her bear up right there.

"Katie will take great care of your bear. I've trusted her to take care of my pups before and she does great with all the different pets that are brought to her salon," Ryder said helping Amber into the ATV. "Little Blue is in very responsible hands."

"If you say so," Amber said.

"And," he added getting into the ATV, "I'll do my best to help you cheer up about missing Little Blue."

"Okay, maybe I am kind of missing her a little bit," Amber said admittedly.

"And that's perfectly fine," he said giving her an understanding smile. "She was the last thing you had from home. I'm sure she's missing you too, but don't worry. It's only for a night. How about we go pick something special for after dinner and surprise the pups?"

"Sure," said Amber. "What are we getting?"

"I was thinking that since today's such a hot day and it is the beginning of summer vacation we could bring back some ice cream."

"Ice cream sounds great! I've only ever had some when my friend Blizzard invited us over for his birthday party," said Amber joyfully. "It was so yummy!"

"Let's head over to Mr. Porter's then," said Ryder taking a turn on the street.

When they got there, Ryder introduced Amber to Mr. Porter who already knew a little bit about Amber through Alex. He let her taste test a couple of flavors before she picked out the banana flavored pup ice cream. After thanking Mr. Porter, they headed straight back to the Lookout so the ice cream wouldn't melt. Amber was really excited to bring back a treat for her friends.

The sun was already on its downward climb when Ryder and Amber walked through the lobby door carrying the bucket of ice cream.

"Ice cream!" the pups exclaimed rushing over to them.

"This is for after dinner," Ryder advised. "I'm going to go stick it in the fridge until then."

"Are you ready for Pup Pup Boogie?" asked Marshall half singing the games theme song.

"I guess so," said Amber laughing at his silly way of asking.

"Don't wowry. We'll explain it to you so you know what to do," said Zuma assuring her.

Ryder came back into the lobby with the pups' food. As they ate, the pups told Amber about all the plans they had made while she and Ryder were out. She eagerly smiled, nodded, and responded to the pups. It sounded like they were going to have a lot of fun. It almost made her not want to find a new home and stay there with the PAW Patrol.

Ryder brought the ice cream out and pups lined up with their empty bowls so Ryder could give them each a scoop.

"What's the reason for the special treat, Ryder?" asked Skye as she happily received her scoop.

"To celebrate summer and to celebrate a special new friend," he said as he gave Amber her scoop.

"To a new friend!" exclaimed Everest.

"To a new friend!" echoed everyone else before taking the first lick.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Trying New Things**

"Do the Pup Pup Boogie!" Marshall sang as the game was starting up. Amber could feel her old familiar friends, the butterflies that lived in her stomach, fluttering like crazy. This would be the first video game she ever played. She hoped it wouldn't be too tricky.

"Alright, so, Pup Pup Boogie is a dancing game where you have to memorize the moves and dance them in the right order and the right way. If you get the moves right, you get a star. The stars fill the bar up. When the bar is full, you move on to the next level. If you get the moves wrong, you'll hear a duck quack and get a red X. Those lower the bar," Skye explained simply.

"Let's make your icon, Amber," said Ryder adding a new player with the features of a golden retriever pup. "There. She looks just like you."

"When you're doing well, your pup icon will smile. If you mess up, she'll frown. But, it's okay if you can't tell. We'll let you know if your bar is getting low," said Rocky informatively.

"Why don't you go first with Amber, Rocky," suggested Ryder.

"Okay," he said getting onto the mat on the left.

"You'll go on this one, Amber," said Ryder showing her the other mat. "When the colors flash on the screen, you have to step on them on your mat. I'll let you know which ones they are if you want."

"Okay," said Amber half-nervous half excited.

They started the game at the easiest level. Ryder instructed her and Amber made it through the first couple of moves. At one point Amber mixed up the colors and stepped on the wrong square. The _quack_ surprised her and she froze for a second.

"Keep going, Amber. Rocky's getting ahead of you," cheered Rubble.

Eventually, Amber got used to the positioning of the eight squares on the mat and knowing which ones were lighting up on the screen without needing to know the colors. She was doing pretty well. The next level came and the moves were coming faster. It was hard for Amber when the lighted squares where far apart on the screen. With her lack of peripheral vision, it was hard for her to see the whole board at one glance. Also, because of the involuntary shaking of her eyes, which she could only control so much, Amber really had to focus to not mix up which squares she was supposed to step on. It kind of made her feel like she didn't want to play anymore, but the pups were constantly cheering her on even if Rocky was in the lead.

The point finally came when Amber got a game over. She happily stepped off the mat. She had a lot of fun, but she much rather watch some other pups really play for a while. Zuma went on and he and Rocky went at it. Rocky ended up losing to Zuma and came over to sit by Amber. Rubble took his place on the mat.

"You were doing really well, Amber," he said to her. "I was almost scared you were going to beat me."

"Aw, thanks. I don't think I did that great," she said.

"Sure you did. If I had trouble seeing the game, I might not even have tried. I like that you gave it a shot. It was really fun, wasn't it?"

"Well, yeah. I guess it was," she said smiling at him. She never stopped to think about what other pups with vision like hers would have chosen to do.

"You wouldn't have had that much fun by just sitting on the side and not trying," Rocky advised.

"Yeah, you're right," she answered thoughtfully.

"Even if you did mess up, everyone does a little. It's just a game and you can always start over."

The moves were getting more complex and rapid. Rubble was now being replaced with Marshall. With all the cheering, Ryder almost didn't hear his pup pad ringing. He walked into a far corner of the room away from all the commotion.

"Hello," he answered.

"Is this Ryder?" asked an old gentle voice.

"Yes, how are you Mr. Sabello?"

"I'm doing well, my boy. I'm calling to let you know that Amber's family will all be able to gather on Tuesday afternoon. They wished it were tomorrow, but Gemma's family is on a weekend camping trip and won't be back until then."

"That is great! Amber will be so happy to see you all again."

"We are so thankful for you Ryder and your Hero Hounds for rescuing Amber. Have you gotten any luck in finding her a home?" The miss use of the PAW Patrol's name caused Ryder to chuckle quietly.

"I've been doing some research and am planning to make some calls tomorrow. I'm also going have the pups go out and put up some flyers at the pet stores and shelters and places like that."

"That's wonderful. Have a good night, Ryder. I look forward to meeting you in a couple of days."

"Same to you. Good night." Ryder hung up and went back to the Pup Pup Boogie game. It was Chase against Zuma and everyone was cheering them both on, including Amber.

"You're looking tired Zuma," said Chase.

"No way, dude. I've got tons of energy," he remarked jumping to the next move.

"Here come the tail spin and reverse tail spin," announced Skye anxiously.

"And here we go," said Chase.

The two pups spun one way and then the other. The both landed back on the board in the right position, but Chase became dizzy and wobbled off to the side trying to regain his balance.

"Oh no, Chase. Looks like I'm in. Watch out Zuma. I'm a pro," said Skye giggling.

They finished the level and Zuma started panting. He had been in longer than the other pups and was finally starting to feel his body giving up.

"Come on Zuma. You can do it!" called Marshall.

"Yeah, Zuma. Come on! We just started," said Skye. "Let's make it to the end of the level."

They both stared at the screen intensely mimicking the moves one after the other. Their points were tied. Suddenly, without notice, the game turned off along with all the power in the Lookout. Everyone gasped.

"Stay where you are, pups," commanded Ryder as he turned on the flashlight on his pup pad. "Is everyone okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay, Ryder," said Everest.

"Yeah," said some of the other pups while the rest nodded.

"It looks like another summer storm," said Ryder looking out the window. "Everest, you're going to have to stay here for the night. It doesn't look like the storms going to let up any time soon."

"Okay. It's probably dangerous to be talking on the phone in this kind of weather, but I'm sure Jake will figure out why I can't come home yet," she said hopefully.

"Yippy! Now we've got two pups sleeping over!" exclaimed Skye.

"Speaking of sleeping, it's about time you pups get ready for bed," said Ryder shining the light so he could see where each of the pups was.

"Alwready?" asked Zuma. "But we'wre not tiwred, yet."

"Yeah, I'm afraid so. They day goes by pretty fast when you spend it having fun," Ryder said scratching Zuma behind the ears as the pup gave a big yawn. A big flash of lightning lit up the lobby through the windows startling everyone out of the chain of yawns that had started.

Amber remembered the night a few days ago when she had to sleep outside by herself during the downpour. She was still not at ease with all the loud thunder and without little blue, but now she had seven pups that would be sleeping in the same room and Ryder who would be close by. She just hoped she could get to sleep that night.

"How about I tell you pups a story to help you fall asleep," Ryder suggested.

"Oh, yay! I love when you tell us stories, Ryder." Said Skye hopping.

"Which one is it going to be tonight?" asked Rubble trying to forget the storm outside.

"Hmmm… I think I've got the perfect one," he said. "I actually think I can pull it up right here on my pup pad… Here it is. The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Anderson."

"A princess story, Ryder?" asked Chase.

"Don't worry it's got a prince, adventure, and storms and stuff like that too," he said with a small laugh.

"Can the prince be a pup?" asked Marshall.

"Oh, and instead of a pea can the story have kibble in it?" asked Everest.

"I don't see why not. Alright then, The Pup and the Kibble," he began getting some giggles from the pups. "Once upon a time there was a pup prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess."

"Aw poor prince," said Skye dreamily. "I wonder what wasn't as it should be with those princesses he saw?"

Ryder continued reading, "One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it."

"That's kind of like how it's storming now," said Rocky jumping at a crash of thunder.

Ryder pet Rocky's back and read on, "It was a princess pup standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious, what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her fur and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess. 'Well, we'll soon find that out,' thought the old queen. But, she said nothing, went into the bedroom, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a kibble on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the kibble, and then twenty down blankets on top of the mattresses. On this the princess had to lie all night."

"Sounds comfortable," said Chase yawning.

Ryder laughed and got back to the story, "In the morning, she was asked how she had slept. 'Oh, very badly!' said she. "I have barely been able to close my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am aching all over my body. It's horrible!' Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the kibble right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty down blankets. Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that. So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the kibble was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it. The end."

"Wow! It must be really hard to become a real princess," said Everest.

"Yeah, you've got to be super sensitive to be able to know something was under all those mattresses and blankets," said Skye stretching out on the floor pretending to sleep. "It would be fun to sleep up that high though."

"Well, we don't have that many mattresses, but we should probably take out your pup beds so you can actually get to sleep. I think we've got a few pups already dreaming about kibble," Ryder said giggling at the sight of Marshall and Zuma sleeping sitting up leaning on each other and rubble licking his lips in a doze.

"Did somebody say kibble?" asked Rubble jerking awake. Everyone laughed and Ryder shown the way to the closet with his pup pad light. All the pups but Amber walked over to get their beds.

"I'll get yours, Amber," said Ryder. "Just stay right there."

In the closet, Ryder also took out some flashlights that Rocky had stored in there. And gave one to each of the pups. After all eight pups were in their bed with a flashlight, Ryder said good night and went to his own bed. Amber felt herself drifting to sleep, but every time thunder rumbled, her heart would jump. She tried thinking about the story and how the poor princess was caught in that storm and then had to sleep on the lumpy bed. _That was a silly test for the princess to go through,_ she thought. _But she did end up proving she was a real princess even though her clothes were all wet and her fur was all messed up. I guess even though she looked like that, the prince chose her because she could feel things those other princesses couldn't. I'm sure the prince wasn't trying to be mean to them. They just weren't real princesses. Maybe that story was supposed to show that being a real princess is about being aware of things around you like people's feelings and what's going on and not about just looking or acting like a princess._ Amber yawned. She fell asleep wondering if she would have been able to feel the kibble under all those mattresses and about how unprincess-like she looked when Cap'n Turbot had found her the day before. All the while, the Pup Pup Boogie theme song was replaying in her head. Amber must have had a smile on her face the entire night.

* * *

Amber woke up the next morning wondering if Katie had been able to fix little blue. The power must have returned during the night because Ryder had turned on the lights and was waking up the pups.

"Good morning everyone," he said.

"Good morning," They all said sporadically with sleepy voices.

"We've got a big day ahead of us today so let's get ready for breakfast," Ryder said energetically.

"Anothewr eawrly day?" asked Zuma stretching with his back legs standing up tail in the air and his front legs reaching out in front of him.

"Today, we start finding Amber a new home. Oh, and Amber, I have some special news for you. On Tuesday, your family is getting together so they can see you," Ryder said with a big smile.

"Really?" Amber said jumping to her feet. "I get to see them tomorrow?"

"Yup," he said laughing at Amber who was doing a little dance jumping around her pup bed.

"That's so cool, Ryder. Is someone going to come and pick her up tomorrow?" asked Marshall.

"Well, I was thinking if there weren't any big emergencies, we could fly over on the Air Patroller. And, in case we do have to go on a mission, we'll have all the gear with us."

"You mean, we get to go too?" asked Rubble.

"Of course, I'd like her family and friends to meet the pups who've been keeping Amber safe, if that's okay with you, Amber" he said seeking her approval.

"Yes, of course! I'd love for them to meet you all! I'm sure they would love you guys." She said turning to smile at all the pups.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, we take a trip to Cape Catfish," Ryder said getting a roar of cheerful enthusiasm from the pups.

All throughout breakfast, Amber told the pups about her sisters and Blizzard and they asked Amber about the beach, the pier and the possibility of going there. Ryder sat back and enjoyed watching Amber be more open with the pups and sharing about herself.

After the pups ate, Ryder called up Jake to tell him about Everest sleeping at the Lookout ant the trip to Cape Catfish. He also asked if Jake would spread the word about Amber and see if he could find anyone interested in adopting her. When he finished with Jake, he called all the pups to the observatory to give them the day's briefing. With Amber and Everest riding the elevator, the pups were trying to figure out how to fit comfortably. Marshall was the last to put his bowl away from breakfast and was hurrying to get in with all the others. He ran so fast, he had trouble slowing down before reaching the doors. When the others saw he wasn't going to stop, they all tried to scramble out of the way, but Marshall ran into them anyway pushing them all back in. the doors closed and all the squished pups moaned and groaned.

"Hey, at least we know we can fit eight pups in here," he said trying to flip the mood.

"Marshall," said Chase rolling his eyes and laughing.

At the top, all the pups jumped out of the elevator and got into their positions with Everest on the end next to Skye and Amber on the other end next to Marshall.

"PAW Patrol… and Amber ready for action, Ryder, Sir," Chased called out.

"What a full room of pups," Ryder said looking at the longer-than-usual line of pups standing in front of him. "I'm glad to have so many pups ready to help. I'm going to need all of you for our mission today, even you Amber."

"Me?" she asked in surprise.

"I'm going to need a picture of you to put on some flyers we're going to make. They'll help us reach more people who could possibly want to add you to their family."

"Oh, okay," she said with a shy smile.

"You should say a catchphrase or something," whispered Marshall to Amber.

"Umm…" Amber thought quickly. What was she going to say? She had heard Zuma say "Ready, set, get wet" before he dove into get Little Blue which made sense because he was the water rescue pup. What was she? She was far from having eagle eyes or being super brave. All she knew was that she cared for the people who had been there for her and really for those who hadn't too. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and love. Amber most of all understood that. Her mind flashed back to the story from last night and then she said, "I've got the heart to do my part!"

The pups and Ryder responded approvingly with "Yay!" and "That's a good one!" and "Alright, Amber!"

"After we've got the flyers printed out, I'm going to need the rest of you pups to help spread them out around town at the local pet businesses," Ryder relayed.

"You've got it, Ryder!" exclaimed the pups.

Amber couldn't believe how ready the pups were to help her out. She was just one little pup. Didn't they have bigger missions to do? Shouldn't they be out patrolling the town or something? This group of pups was really special. Amber wished so hard at that moment that she could find a family that wouldn't be too far from Adventure Bay so that she could still be able to see the PAW Patrol every now and again. It only had been two days, but the pups really felt like family to her. And, in about a day, they were going to meet the rest of her family. Things were definitely turning around for Amber.

Before taking the pictures, Ryder took Amber to Katie's Pet Parlor to get her cleaned up and looking nice. Thanks to Marshall's expert job with the first aid, Amber didn't need the bandages anymore. Everything seemed to be scabbed over and healing quickly. It felt nice to take a bath. Katie was extra gentle and when Amber was all dried up, her fur was the softest ever.

"And, here's your bear as good as new just like I promised," said Katie handing her Little Blue. Amber's teddy looked brighter and bluer than it ever had been. And, it looked like Katie added a little extra stuffing so Little Blue wasn't so floppy. Amber was so happy to have Little Blue back that she gave a tight hug as soon as she had her. Amber took a good sniff and thought she smelled flowers. Amber loved the smell.

"Thank you so much, Katie!" Amber said nuzzling Katie who was kneeling on the floor next to her.

"Aww, no problem, Amber. Your bear behaved very well," she said with a giggle. "Oh, Ryder. I talked to a few of my customers to see if any of them were interested in adopting a pup, but no one has seemed to be looking for one so far."

"Thanks, Katie. We just have to keep trying. The pups and I are going to be distributing some posters later on today. I'm sure someone will turn up."

Amber and Ryder left Katie's and returned to the Lookout with Little Blue. The pups, especially the girls were really excited to help Amber take a new picture for her flyer. Ryder was going to use the big screen as a backdrop for Amber since the scenery outside was damp and muddy.

"Ooo, how about a snowy pine forest scene?" suggested Everest having Ryder pull up the background.

"Or, a bright sky blue one?" asked Skye excitedly.

"Amber, what's your favorite?" asked Ryder.

"How about a field with some pink flowers?" she asked shyly.

"Oh, yeah. That would look great!" agreed Skye. Ryder pulled up a picture of a patch of dark green grass with tiny light pink flowers speckling it. Far in the background, there was a nice looking fence and a tree.

"Okay, Amber. Go stand in front of the screen. Move a little more back. Now, a little to your right. There you go. Perfect! Now, smile," Ryder took a couple pictures with his pup pad.

"Wait, Wryder. She's missing something," said Zuma bringing Little Blue over to Amber. "There. Now, you look more like Amber."

Ryder snapped a few more shots. "Now, I just need to add one of these with the other one…"

"What other one, Ryder? We only just took this one," said Rubble with a confused look.

"This one," said Ryder smiling and holding up his pup pad for the pups to see. It was the picture Cap'n Turbot took of Amber hula dancing at the luau.

"Aww, you look adorable, Amber," said Skye with a giggle.

"Oh, yeah. I remember that," said Chase. "It was when you came over to watch the limbo game."

Amber felt her cheeks get warm. She wondered how silly she looked in that picture. "C-can I see, Ryder?"

"Yeah, here. I'll zoom in a little," he said kneeling next to her and showing her the pup pad. She squinted at first to see if she could find her face. Once she spotted the bandage by her ear, the whole picture started to make more sense to her eyes. She didn't look silly at all. She looked like she was having fun. She was happy to have that memory recorded in a picture. Then, Amber's eye caught the bracelet on her leg, the one Ryder had won for her. Her heart sank suddenly when she realized she wasn't wearing it anymore. Ryder heard her gasp and asked, "What's wrong? Do you not like the picture?"

"No, the bracelet. It's lost! I don't know where it went. Please don't be mad at me, Ryder."

"I'm not mad, Amber. I'm sure it's here somewhere. I know you still had it when you went to bed that night. Maybe you lost it when you were playing outside yesterday or while you were playing Pup Pup Boogie."

"We also went to Katie's yesterday and Mr. Porter's," she added now growing concerned. That bracelet was special to her. It was something that would remind her of the time she spent with the PAW Patrol when she was no longer living at the Lookout.

"Don't worry. We'll find it. I'll just call Katie and Mr. Porter to see if they've seen it. And the pups can help look around the Lookout and the yard. No job is too big, no pup is too small, remember?"

Ryder made the calls and the pups searched all around. Amber felt horrible for losing the bracelet. She knew it was just something simple, but Ryder had chosen to get that as his prize instead of something for himself and she lost it within a day.

"Katie hasn't seen it and neither has Mr. Porter," Ryder said to Amber who was now hoping that one of the pups would find it at the Lookout.

Amber and Ryder went down to the lobby to help the pups. She tried to think about everything she did yesterday. Then, she remembered when Marshall had changed her bandages. The bracelet had been put on top of the bandage that wrapped her paw and Marshall must have had to take it off to clean up her cut. "Ryder, I think I now where it is!" she said relieved.

"Where?" he asked.

"I think it might be by Marshall's pup house where he changed my bandages yesterday."

"I'll let the pups know," he pulled out his pup pad and called them. "Pups, try checking by Marshall's pup house. Amber thinks the bracelet might be there."

"Chase is on the case," Amber hear Chase say from the other side. Then, a few seconds later, she heard him again. "You were right, Ryder. It was just lying on the ground over here. It got a little muddy, though."

"I'll just hose it off," she heard Marshall say.

"No Marshall! Wait-" cautioned Chase. Then, there was the sound of what Amber assumed to be water hitting Chase in the face. She assumed Chase had picked up the bracelet in his mouth and Marshall, in an attempt to clean it off quickly had gotten Chase soaked. She and Ryder giggle a little as the heard Marshall apologize and announce that they were on their way back.

Again, the pups had proven the immensity of their hearts. Amber didn't feel like she was worth all the trouble. It felt like the pups kept doing things for her and she was giving them nothing in return. What did she have to offer? Before she could finish he thought process, a sopping Chase and Marshall walked through the lobby door with all the other pups right behind them. Chase walked over to Amber and laid the bracelet in front of her.

"Here is your bracelet, ma'am," he said very police man-like.

"Thank you very much officer. I apologize for any trouble it has caused you," she said maturely holding back a laugh. She then surprised him with a lick on the cheek. They both laughed and Ryder put the bracelet back on Amber.

"What a bunch of good pups," Ryder said. "Now, why don't we get the description part of the flyer started? What can we say about Amber? We want to mention that Amber has trouble seeing but we also want to let the people know all the other great things about her. We've got to give them the full picture."

"Well, we know you like to play, Amber, and you're really fun," said Everest.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," she said slightly embarrassed at the fact that everyone was focusing on her again.

"Oh, and she really likes listening to stories," added Rubble as Ryder typed all these things into his pup pad.

"She's really gentle," Skye put in.

"And, she's a fast learner," said Chase.

"She's adventurous and likes to try new things," said Rocky.

"She's also funny," laughed Marshall.

"Alright, we're getting some good stuff. What do you think, Amber? What would you like to say about yourself? What do you want them to know about you?" Ryder asked.

"Well…" Amber thought. She was really surprised at the things the pups were saying. Was she really all those things? Her sisters had told her similar compliments before, but she thought they were just being nice. What could she possibly have to say? "I'm looking for a family who won't just see me as a pup with bad eyes. I want them to know that I would love them and do my best to care for them the way any pup would. I know now that people might be afraid to take on the responsibility of caring for a blind pup, but I promise to help them understand how to help me. I'd love to be in a family that can love and learn and grow together with me. I know there are a lot of things that I can't- I have to do differently but I'm willing to make up what I don't have in eyes with everything else I can offer, especially my heart. I've got a lot of love I want to share."

"That was beautiful, Ambewr," said Zuma astonished. That was the most he had ever heard her say all at once.

"Yeah, Amber. I think that's the perfect thing to say," said Ryder. "I'm going to go upstairs and finish up the flyer. You pups are free to play until it's time to go."

Once Ryder left, Amber realized what she just had said… aloud… in front of everyone… _Oh boy,_ was all she could think. The room was so quiet it was unsettling. She wondered what was going on in the pups' heads.

"So," said Marshall breaking the silence, "It's still kind of mucky outside. How about we play a game inside?"

"Yeah," said Skye following Marshall's lead. "How about… four corners?"

"We don't really have four corners in the lobby," commented Rubble.

"We can just pick four different spots," suggested Chase.

"Yeah, over here can be number one," said Everest walking over to a spot on one side of the elevator.

"And this can be two," said Rocky walking to a spot on the other side of the elevator.

"Here's three," said Marshall by a spot on one side of the door across from Everest.

"And fouwr," said Zuma going over to the spot directly across from Rocky.

"H-how do you play?" asked Amber finally able to open her mouth again.

"One pup stands in the middle and counts to ten with his or her eyes closed. The rest of the pups go around the room as quietly as they can. When the pup in the middle finishes counting, all the pups have to make it to the closest corner and stay there. The pup in the middle keeps his or her eyes closed and choses a corner where they think some pups can be. If there are pups in that corner, they're out and have to sit in the middle of the room and the pup in the middle counts again. If there aren't any pups in that corner, another pup gets to count and pick," explained Rubble.

"Okay. Sounds fun," said Amber.

"Can I be in the middle?" asked Everest eagerly.

"Sure," said Chase. "Just don't forget the stinky sock so you can't smell where we are. Amber, would you like one of us to walk with you around the lobby and help you find the corners. You know, at least until you get the hang of it?"

"Sure," she answered.

"Ooo, can I walk with you, Amber?" asked Skye.

"Yeah," she said with a smile.

"You should walk with me, Amber. I can be as quiet as a mouse," said Marshall crouching low to the ground.

Amber didn't think she would have to choose. All the pups were now trying to win Amber's pick. "Umm… Eenie meanie minie moe. Catch a tiger by its toe. If he hollers, let him go. Eenie meanie minie moe. Looks like I'm walking with Rubble," she said as her pointed at him.

"Yes," he said with a laugh as the other pups made noises of defeat.

Amber laughed. "I'll walk with each of you for one turn. That is if you don't get out," she said giggling.

"Alright, let's play!" said Everest hopping to the center of the room with the sock on her nose. "One… Two… Three…"

The pups walked softly around the wall of the lobby. Some were trying to go fast so that Everest would have no idea where they would end up. Others were going very slow so they could stay near the corner they thought she wouldn't pick.

"Eight… Nine… Ten!" Everest finished. Zuma was so excited his tail was wagging and accidental hit the wall in the corner where he and Rocky were standing. "I pick corner number two!" Everest said upon hearing the thumping.

"Oh man! Sowry Wrocky, dude" Zuma said disappointedly.

"That's okay, Zuma. At least now we can root for the other pups and wag our tails as much as we want," Rocky said with a laugh.

"Okay, here we go. One… Two…" Everest started again.

"My turn with Amber," whispered Skye who was in the same corner as Rubble and Amber. They tread quietly and decided to go to corner number two thinking that Everest wouldn't pick it twice in a row. Skye, being a smaller pup, was really good at stepping lightly.

"Hmmm…" thought Everest when she finished counting. "Corner number one!"

"Looks like you're out, Everest," called Chase from corner four. "Who do you want to take your place?"

"Amber," Everest said automatically.

"Alright," she said walking with Skye to the middle of the floor.

"Here's the sock," said Skye taking it off Everest and putting it on Amber's nose.

"Ew. This sock is definitely way stinky," Amber said with a disgusted look. Then she laughed as she joked, "Do I really have to close my eyes?"

"We're not taking any chances," laughed Rubble.

"Okay, here goes nothing. One… Two…" Amber squeezed her eyes shut and started counting.

The pups walked around the room nervosa to see how good Amber was going to be at this game. When she finished counting the room became still. She opened her ears and listened. She sensed how the room felt around her. She could feel Rocky and Zuma sitting behind her. She tilted her head one way and then the other. Then, she thought she could feel like something was to the left of the elevator. "Corner number one?"

"Oh, man. Good job, Amber," came Chase's voice. "That makes me out."

"It's just Everest, Rubble, Skye, and me," said Marshall. "Count again Amber!"

As she counted, she tuned her ears in to the sound of the pups' paws patting the floor. When she got to ten, she stood very still for a few seconds. Then, she said more confidently then the first time, "corner three."

"Right again," said Everest. "You've got us."

Rubble and Everest joined the others in the center of the room. It was just Marshall and Skye left. She counted again and listened hard like last time. "Corner two."

"Wow, Amber. You're good," said Marshall. "If you can get Skye on this turn, you win!"

She counted again with a smile. It was a thrill to actually be doing so well. Skye was extra quiet this time. When Amber reached the number ten, the elevator doors opened with a _ding._

"Hey, pups. What are you doing?" he asked confused by the sight.

"Shhh," everyone behind Amber told him.

"Oh, I get it. You're playing a game," he whispered as he noticed Skye making signs to him from the wall by the door.

"Hmmm…" Amber thought aloud with a smile. "Corner four!"

"You win!" said Skye from behind her. The pups all cheered. Amber removed the sock and opened her eyes.

"Great job, Amber," said Ryder. "Your other senses must be really strong to make up for your eyes. This actually gives me a great idea, but I'll tell you all about it later. I want to show you the flyers."

"Let us see, Ryder," said Everest excitedly.

All the pups gathered around as Chase read the description aloud. "My name is Amber. I'm looking for a family who loves to play, and dance, and learn as much as I do, a family who can enjoy a good book, a good laugh, and a good adventure. I'm a pup with lots to give. I can be a little shy sometimes, but I'm always ready to help you out in any way I can. Most of all I'm always ready to give you my heart and lots of puppy hugs and kisses. Oh, yeah. I guess I should mention that I have an eye condition that has me doing things a little differently than you might be used to seeing. But, my friends in the PAW Patrol can tell you that this doesn't stop me from being the best pup that I can be. Whoever you may be, I am ready to love you. If you are interested in making me a part of your life, please contact Ryder. His information is at the bottom of this flyer."

"That's perfect Ryder! Amber will have a new home soon for sure!" said Marshall joyfully.

"What do you think, Amber?" Ryder asked.

Amber almost felt like crying. Not because she was sad, but because she felt like she actually had a chance at finding a family this time. She held the tears back, cleared her throat, and managed to say, "I think… it really is perfect, Ryder. Thank you!"

Ryder gave her a hug and then deployed the team with an energetic, "Alright, PAW Patrol is on a roll!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Trust Your Feelings**

It didn't take long for the pups to spread the flyers around Adventure Bay. Pretty soon, Amber's ad was hung in the pet parlor, animal shelter, pet store, vet, park, and anywhere else pup lovers might frequent. Amber wondered about the possibility of searching for a family back in Cape Catfish. Mr. Sabello must have used the picture of her, which had been used to make the lost pup posters as well, to make flyers like those that Ryder had made. But, how many did he make? Did he hang them in very many places? It had seemed that they were moderately successful, because for those not so distant agonizing weeks, at least a dozen families had come to visit her mother and siblings. Amber wondered if there was even just one family in her hometown that would want her. Or, was everyone who was looking for a pup intolerant of blind ones? She would love to live in Adventure Bay close to her new friends, but what if there was a chance for her to find a family that would give her the best of both worlds, being near the PAW Patrol and her family. On the ride back to the Lookout, she finally got the courage to ask Ryder.

"Ryder, do you think we can print out some extra flyers?" she asked timidly looking up at him.

"I guess so, Amber. Is there somewhere we missed?" he asked unsure of her intention.

"Well, sort of. I was wondering if tomorrow, when we go visit my family, we could spread some flyers around Cape Catfish too. I mean, you know, just in case my old owner missed somewhere the first time. That is, if you think that would help at all," she said completely unaware of how effective her reasoning would be.

Ryder understood her hesitation in asking. Amber didn't know whether she should be hopeful or give up on Cape Catfish entirely. Ryder was sure there would be a better home for her in Adventure Bay where there were more, younger families. He also knew that Amber loved her family dearly and it would be hard for her to live in a different city than them. Amber hadn't had much luck with finding a home in Cape Catfish, but she wanted to be positive that absolutely no one was interested in her there before moving on. "That is a very good idea. I'll bring some with us so we can tape them up around the city before meeting at Mr. Sabello's house. The pups can even use their air rescue gear to make it a quick errand. Does that sound good?"

Amber nodded and smiled. A miniscule spark of hope gleamed in her eyes just long enough for Ryder to catch it. Everyone got back to the Lookout around the same time and enjoyed a late lunch. Chase had finished his lunch before everyone else and had disappeared with Ryder around the backside of the Lookout.

"I wonder what they're doing?" asked Rubble after munching the last bit of kibble from his bowl.

"I don't know, but Ryder said we had to stay here until he called us," recalled Rocky.

"I wonder if it's a surprise," thought Skye excitedly aloud.

The pups chattered amongst each other in anticipation of what they would find on the other side of the Lookout. A few minutes later, Chase peered out from the side of the tower and called out to the pups with his megaphone. "All pups to the obstacle course!"

"Come on, Amber. Follow me," said Everest cheerfully. Amber joined Everest at her side. Although it was sunny out, Amber was still unfamiliar with the layout around the lookout.

They all pranced over to the back where indeed there was an obstacle course set up. It left the pups staring. It wasn't an ordinary obstacle course. There were cones that outlined the path of the course and some stereotypical obstacles, but there were also some random things scattered throughout as well.

"This is a funny looking obstacle course," commented Rubble.

"Why are the cones connected with a string like that, Ryder?" asked Rocky puzzled.

"By now I know you pups have figured that this isn't your usual obstacle course. Let me explain. For this course each of you pups will get a chance to go through blindfolded," Ryder commenced.

"Blindfolded? This course just got way hawrdewr," said Zuma with a frown.

"The reason I'm having you pups do this is so you can get to know a little more about how it's like to be a pup with a visual impairment, like Amber. Now, I know that Amber still has some vision, but being blindfolded will help everyone only focus on the other senses. I think this will be a great exercise for you too, Amber. It'll kind of be like how you see when it's dark out," Ryder explained walking down the now formed row of pups along the length of the obstacle course.

"Well, it's definitely different than anything we've done before. I'm ready to try, Ryder," said Skye bravely.

"Yeah, I guess I'm ready to try too," said Marshall taking a step forward.

One by the pups followed the example and fed off each other's courage. Skye placed herself inside the hula-hoop that marked the starting point of the obstacle course. Ryder knelt behind her and tied the blind fold around her eyes, under her fluffy ears, and behind her head. "Can you see anything?"

"Not a thing," Skye said smiling.

"Alright, before you go, make sure to take it slow. Remember you still have your sense of touch, smell, and hearing. The cord along the cones will help you know when you're getting off track. I'm going to be walking along the other side of the cones keeping right up with you and giving you clues if you need them." Ryder then turned to the other pups. "Try your best not to give anything away, but still cheer her on. Can you do that?"

"Yeah!" the pups said now really excited to see Skye conquer the course.

"Alright, Skye. Whenever you're ready," he said stepping to the side of the course.

Skye took a step and felt the edge of the hula-hoop. She stepped over it and took a couple of more steps. She remembered that she had seen a large cube in the beginning of the course. She stuck her front paw out and felt nothing. She stepped forward again and kicked something.

"Great! You found the first obstacle. You can only get around it one way. Give it a shot," Ryder said encouragingly.

Skye stood on her hind legs and used her two front paws to see how tall the cube was and how wide. She first walked to the left, but met with one of the cones. She retraced her steps and tried the other way. There was a clearing! She rounded the corner of the cube and followed its side to keep herself going straight. Her paws soon hit something else. She used her front paws again to feel what it could be. It was a carpeted object. It was flat and long like a thin rectangular box. She stretched her paw out to see how wide it was. She was surprised when her paw hit something. With one paw atop the first part of the object, Skye examined the top of the next part. "Are these… stairs?"

"You got it! Go ahead and climb up. Make sure to check your step. And, don't worry, there's a railing to either side so you won't fall off," Ryder told her.

The pups cheered as Skye pushed forward and reached the top of the steps. There were six. She knew she had reached the top because her paws couldn't find any more edges. She cautiously walked across the platform. She was startled when her paw was left stepping in midair. She took a step back and slid her paw across the last stretch of carpet. Her paw found some sloping thing made of plastic at the edge where the carpet ended. She explored it a bit and figured out that it was a slide.

"Wee!" she yelled as she slid down. The pups cheered for her again.

"Great job, Skye! For this next part, you're going to need to rely on your nose. There are a few mud puddles along this part of the course. I know you can probably sniff them out, but, to make it easier, I've marked the path around them by sprinkling the grass with some lemon juice."

Skye lowered her head to the ground and sniffed the grass in front of her paws. She picked up the lemony scent and followed it carefully. The path curved this way and that, around one puddle and then around two. Skye wasn't sure when she would be clear of the mud trap. When she did reached the end of the lemon trail, she couldn't remember which way was straight.

"Alright, Skye. If you walk forward a bit, you'll find the cord on the left side of the course," said Ryder sounding close to where she was standing. "Once you find it, you can straighten yourself out and find the next obstacle. Oh, and watch your head."

Skye followed Ryder's instructions and got going forward again. She walked slowly sticking her paw out in the air around her head intermittently. After a few paces like that, she finally found something. From the top, it arched down and to the ground. She could feel something about this obstacle. Things sounded different around it, like if the sound was coming through… "A tunnel!"

"That's right! At the end of the tunnel, there will be a series of pool noodles that I've set up to stretch from left to right. I've fixed them to be at different heights, so you have to decide whether to climb over or go under them. Are you ready?" Ryder asked to see how Skye was feeling.

"Yes!" she said with a cheerful yip. The pups' cheers echoed in the tunnel as she stepped inside.

She could feel the openness at the end of the tunnel getting closer. Suddenly her nose hit the soft foaminess of the first pool noddle. She decided to crawl under. The she was met by the next one. She when over and under and under and over. The more she relied on her senses the faster she got at passing them.

"Awesome! There's just one more obstacle. You can probably hear it from where you are. A few steps in front of you, I've hidden a ball that's making that beeping sound. You're going to find a bunch of upside-down buckets, but only one has the ball under it. Come on, Skye, you can do this," Ryder encouraged.

Skye stepped forward and found a couple of buckets. Focusing her ears, she could tell the beeping was coming from further up. She found a few more buckets. The sound was louder and seemed to be coming from the right. She leaned her head to that side and listened closely. She was sure now and lifted the bucket to reveal the beeping ball. Ryder came over the removed the blind fold. Skye squinted at first as she adjusted to the sunlight. Everyone cheered and ran over to congratulate her.

"Wow, Skye! That was great!" said Everest with a big smile.

"Yeah, totally!" agreed Zuma.

"That was really fun, Ryder. It was like playing a game!" Skye said turning to Ryder. 'I never really knew how much you have to work your other senses when you don't have one of them!"

"I'm next, Ryder, right?" asked Marshall with a little hop.

"Yup, Marshall, you're up," Ryder laughed.

Marshall stood with his tail wagging at the starting point. Ryder blindfolded him but had him with while he rearranged some things on the obstacle course. The order of obstacles stayed the same, but some of the positioning was different just so there was no cheating by memorizing where things were seen. Marshall was sent off with Ryder walking at his side behind the cones. He started walking askew and ran into the boundary cord. Ryder helped him find his way and soon he came to the first obstacle. Surprisingly, Marshall wasn't as clumsy as the other pups thought he would be. He only ran into some things when he got excited, but, other than that, he was very careful once he tried taking his time. Taking only a little longer than Skye, Marshall reached the end of the course as well receiving many cheers and compliments. Chase even jokingly suggested that Marshall walk around blindfolded all the time.

Chase was next, then Rocky, Everest, Zuma, and Rubble. Amber was having so much fun watching the pups that she forgot that she was also supposed to go.

"Hey, Amber. You still haven't gotten a chance to go," Rubble reminded her as blindfold was removed from his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," she said. She swallowed hard. She started to feel nervous. The pups probably expected her to do very well, but she wasn't sure how she would do. She tried to calm down and not think of what would happen if she messed up. If all the pups were doing so well, why should she worry?

"Come on, Amber. You can't let the pups have all the fun," Ryder said with a laugh as he led her to the beginning. He tied the blindfold around her head and reassured her, "Just do your best. Don't feel bad if you mess up. Plus, if you do it perfectly, then you'll leave me with nothing to do."

His joke made her laugh a little relieving the tension that had started to build. Ryder rearranged the course and gave her the signal. The pups cheered her on as she took the first step. She took each obstacle slowly making sure not to under or overestimate anything. She passed the giant cube, went up the stairs, down the slide, around the puddles, through the tunnel, over and under the pool noodles, and then finally found the beeping ball. It went by much quicker than she had expected. In fact, Amber had finished the obstacle course faster than even Chase.

"Amazing Amber!" congratulated Rocky. The other pups joined in. Ryder removed the blindfold so Amber could see all the pups circled around her.

"That was the fastest time yet!" exclaimed Marshall.

"What a good pup," said Ryder giving Amber an ear scratch. "It wasn't that hard now was it?"

"No. I guess it wasn't. It actually showed me what kind of skills I've picked up from having to walk around on my own sometimes. It's definitely not as fast as if you guys were to do it without the blindfold, though," she said honestly.

"That may be true, but doesn't it feel good to know that you can do it all on your own?" Ryder asked looking at the bright side.

"Well, yeah," Amber said trying to look at it positively like Ryder was. She couldn't help thinking back to that night at the luau when she lost track of Ryder and panicked. Could she have found him if she had calmed down and used her other senses? Maybe not, but this thought got her thinking of what she would do if something like that happened again. Could she manage to at least find a safe place to wait until someone could help her?

"I've got another exercise for you pups," said Ryder bringing Amber out of her thoughts.

"Is it another blindfolded test?" asked Rubble.

"Actually, yeah. This time, though, two of you will be blindfolded at the same time and will race through a different obstacle course. Also different, you'll have a pup to lead you through. This will be great to practice using your other senses, but it will also be great practice in giving directions and keeping someone safe when they can't see," Ryder declared.

"Wow! That's sounds like fun!" said Everest ready to start right that instant.

"It also sounds like a challenge," said Rocky.

"I'm game for a challenge!" said Chase.

"Yeah, let's do it!" exclaimed Marshall.

"Okay, follow me inside," said Ryder eager to show the pups what he had planned.

Once through the doors of the Lookout, Amber could only hear oo's and ah's while her eyes were adjusting. She stayed close to Rocky, who had walked in with her through the door, as they gathered to one side of the lobby.

"Okay, so this will be a relay race which is perfect since we have an even number of pups. For the first leg of the race, the leader will have to help his or her pup circle around some objects and then walk through a hula-hoop. The blindfolded pup will be carrying a rope that the leader will then grab onto at the end of the first leg. At this point, the leader will also be blindfolded and the two blind pups will be led by another pup through the second leg of the race. This part will include a ball pit to go through and two hula-hoops. This leg ends at the elevator which you will take up stairs where the fourth pup on your team will meet you and become the new leader. This pup will have to lead his or her three blind teammates under a table, around the escape pole, and to the snack dispenser where each pup has to pour a serving into his or her own bowl. Think you can handle it?" Ryder asked with a big smile. All the pups responded with vigor. Even Amber was excited to try.

"Which pups awre going to be on which team, Wrydewr?" asked Zuma.

"Hmm… Chase and… Amber. You two are team captains since you had the fastest times on the obstacle course," decided Ryder.

"Rrrar! Alright!" said Chase happily. "You can pick first Amber."

"Umm… Zuma," she said picking one of the pups that she was more familiar with.

"Skye," called Chase.

"Uh, Marshall," said Amber.

"Rubble," Chase went on.

"Rocky," Amber called turning her head to where he was standing.

"And that leaves Everest on our team," Chase said ending the team picking.

"Alright, now, pick the order you want to go in," Ryder directed.

"C-can I be the first blind pup?" asked Amber right away. She did feel like she would be a very efficient leader, especially not under the pressure of a race.

"Sure," said Rocky. "Who wants to be the first leader?"

"I'll do it!" volunteered Marshall.

The order ended up being Amber, Marshall, Zuma, then Rocky on the first team, and Rubble, Skye, Everest, then Chase on the other. When the pups were finally in their respective positions, Ryder gave a few more instructions.

"Remember, even more important than winning the race is keeping all your teammates safe and finishing the race together. It is the leader's job to make sure his or her pup or pups safely get through each obstacle without touching the rope that they are carrying. Work together and have fun! And, the race starts in… Three… Two… One… Go!"

The room filled with talking and cheering as Marshall led Amber and Skye led Rubble around the first object which was an inner tube. The two leaders did their best to describe how big the thing was and how much closer the blind pup was to making it all the way around. Marshall tripped at one point as he was walking backwards and fell right into the middle of the tube. Amber did her best to help him out blindfolded and with the rope in her mouth. Next came a small overturned bucket and a large one with water that Rubble almost spilled by coming at it too fast. Rubble and Skye only reached their next teammate a few seconds before Marshall and Amber. Once through the hula-hoop and blindfolded Everest and Zuma had their team follow their voices to the edge of the ball pit. Despite Marshall sticking his paw out to feel the lip of the small pool of plastic balls, he ended up falling head first into the colorful obstacle causing Amber to let go of the rope. It took her team a bit to regroup and finally step out over the other side. By the time they reached the first hula-hoop, they could hear Everest pushing the button to open the elevator. Zuma quickly did the best he could to help his team find the second hoop. He managed to get them there just as the elevator doors opened.

Topside, Chase and Rocky were waiting anxiously for their team to arrive. When everyone was there, blindfolds were put on quickly and Everest and Zuma scrambled to grab their part of the rope. Chase took the right side under the table and Rocky took the left. Chase did really well at telling everyone when precisely to duck their head and when they were clear of the table. Rocky was a little more nervous about his team getting hurt so his commands came much more slowly but no less helpful than Chase's. Rocky and Chase continued on their chosen side as they approached the pole.

"Alright, we're coming up on the pole. I'm going to try to walk as far away from the hole as possible. Just keep following my voice," Rocky said. He could see the worry in his teammates' faces. Chase had decided to stay closer to the hole to make a straight shot for the snack dispenser. His plan seemed to be working fine until Rubble tripped on the back of Skye's heel and fell to his side nearly falling off the edge. Luckily, he was still holding tight to the rope and Ryder had temporarily placed a safety net right below the hole in case anyone was to fall. Getting Rubble reoriented and feeling safe again took Chase's team just enough time to let Rocky get the lead, but the race wasn't done yet. Ryder was now standing at the snack station where two dispensers stood at his left and right. Rocky came over and had his pups line up behind him and drop the rope. Ryder blindfolded him and gave each pup a bowl.

"Alright, you don't have the rope anymore to help you out. You have to help each other out by giving descriptions and using sounds and smells to find the dispenser and fill your bowl. One pull of the lever should be enough," with that, Ryder stepped away from the machines and let Rocky have at it.

Rocky heard Ryder walk to the other side of him and blind fold Chase as his team arrived. Rocky sniffed and took a couple of steps forward. The other pups stayed still behind him. He felt with his paw where the dispenser was and where the lever and chute were. He released his bowl from his mouth and pushed it forward. When he pulled the lever down, he heard the satisfying sound of the hard treats clanging against the metal interior of the bowl. He heard Chase's bowl make the same noise.

"Okay, Zuma," said Rocky moving the bowl and himself to the side. "The dispenser is free."

"Your turn, Everest," Chase said.

Zuma and Everest reached the dispensers at the same time. The teams cheered them on. Zuma almost missed the bowl. It was a good thing he pushed it into place when he noticed the treats were about to spill over one side. Soon, Marshall and Skye were up. Marshall accidentally knocked the lever before his bowl was in place and treats spilled on the floor. Rocky and Zuma, still blindfolded, tried their best to find all the pieces and help Marshall put them into the bowl. Rubble was up before Amber had a chance. When things started to look bad for Amber's team, Everest accidentally tipped Skye's bowl over and Chase had to help them put everything back in. This gave Amber time to catch up. Amber was quick to find the right place to put her bowl and pull the lever. Just as the last few pieces fell into her bowl, Everest and Rubble had placed the final stray treats into Skye's bowl.

"It's a tie!" proclaimed Ryder from behind the pups. "You can remove your blindfolds. Good work pups!"

There were sighs of relief and giggles as the pups opened their eyes and looked at what they had accomplished. "Hey, there's still one treat on the floor," noticed Rubble.

"I wonder who's it is? It's in the middle of our two sides," Rocky pointed out.

"I'll get it!" Marshall and Everest said diving for the treat at the same time. The two pups rushed to put their paw on top of the treat. The stood there for a second and slowly lifted their paw up. Marshall had nothing under his paw and frowned. Everest was the lucky one, but in the end decided to split it with Marshall. Everyone laughed at what had happened and then dug into their own bowl of treats.

"So what did you pups think of the race?" Ryder asked as the pups finished up.

"It was totally fun, but it was hawrd to come up with the wright things to say," said Zuma recalling his attempt at helping Marshall and Amber through the ball pit and hula-hoops.

"Yeah, you've got to really chose your words wisely, especially when it comes to keeping someone safe," Ryder said.

"It was also kind of scary doing what the leader was saying without knowing exactly what was around you," added Rubble.

"I can imagine. This game was about trust just as much as it was about the other stuff," Ryder pointed out.

"This was a really cool exercise Ryder," Everest said with a yawn and a smile.

The other pups agreed. "I'm glad you think so. We might be doing more of these later on, but right now, it looks like you pups are getting tired. You've had quite a long day. How about we do one last team effort and put all of the obstacles back where they belong and we can call it an early night?" Ryder said seeing that more pups had begun yawning.

"Sounds like a good idea, Ryder, Sir," said Chase laughing after a big yawn.

The pups were soon scattered throughout the Lookout and outside picking up. Amber stacked up the bowls and went with Ryder to bring them to the sink to be washed. The Lookout was cleaned up in no time. Ryder sent Everest back home to Jake reminding her of their plans for tomorrow. By the time the bright golden sun was tucking itself in bed behind the far horizon, Ryder was petting the pups good night.

"Sleep well, pups. Tomorrow's the big trip," he whispered to the half-awake room. Amber was just awake enough to hear those last few words and fell asleep with an excited smile on her face and cuddling with her sweet smelling Little Blue.

Ryder stayed up a little later preparing the Air Patroller. He added a couple of extra seats for Amber and Everest and packed up some food and other miscellaneous things that they might need on their day out. He triple checked everything before turning in for the night. He was very happy that Amber would soon be reunited with the ones she loved most. Going on missions like this reminded him of why he loved leading the PAW Patrol. It wasn't for the fame or opportunity to be around an amazing group of pups every hour of every day. He truly believed that when you have a special talent, it should be shared with others, especially when that talent can do things like protect others from harm or bring joy to someone's life.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: All Together**

It was Tuesday! Amber grabbed Little Blue and dashed out the door into the morning light that was slowly starting to paint the lawn outside the Lookout. Everyone ate breakfast super quickly that morning. Amber looked out at the sunrise. The sun seemed to be shining brighter that morning. She felt in her heart that nothing could happen to make this day anything but amazing.

"We can't fowrget the boogie boawrds! You know, just in case we get to go to the beach," hollered Zuma as he ran to grab a couple from his pup-house. Rubble came to help him retrieve a few more. The two pups loaded them onto the Air Patroller on top of all the other things Ryder had packed the night before. "Thewre. Now wewre all packed."

Ryder laughed. "It's possible. Mr. Sabello called this morning to tell me that he'll be making lunch for us and that if the pups over in Cape Catfish are up to it, his neighbor has a van he can borrow to take all of us to the shore to have dinner and watch the sun set."

"Yay!" everyone shouted jumping for joy.

"Are you sure it won't rain today, Ryder? It's been a pretty stormy summer so far," Skye pointed out.

"Already checked. It's not supposed to rain until way later in the night. We'll be back home by then. Today will be a beautifully breezy, sunny day," Ryder said with a smile.

"Sounds great! Keeping cool shouldn't be a problem, then," came Everest's voice from behind the pups. She had just arrived and was hopping out of her vehicle.

"Everest!" exclaimed all the pups.

"Hey pups! It looks like I didn't get here to late this time," Everest said with a giggle.

"Yeah, we don't have to be at Mr. Sabello's until lunch time, which leaves plenty of time in the morning to hang some flyers around Cape Catfish," Ryder commented.

"That's right. That was Amber's first home. It's only right to look for a family for her there too," realized Chase.

"Alright, if everyone's ready, PAW Patrol to the Air Patroller!" Ryder commanded cheerfully.

Everyone howled and barked as they climbed up the ramp into the mini jet.

"I'll go ahead of you, Amber, so I can show you to your seat," Skye told Amber before yipping and bounding up the ramp.

"Will you be alright walking up?" asked Everest. "I know it might be a little scary, especially since there aren't any railings."

Amber nodded and smiled. Even though Amber didn't have that hard of a time walking up the ramp, she was thankful to have such nice friends like Everest, Skye, and all the other PAW Patrol members who were always watching out for her. Finally on board, Skye showed Amber and Everest their seats in the back. Much like a flight attendant, Skye explained to Amber and Everest how to use the seat belt, where all the exits were, and what to do in an emergency in case any of the pups in their flight gear weren't available to help. Amber's heart was pounding excitedly. Within the last few days, she had done many firsts. She was now ready to brave her first ever plane trip too if it meant getting that much closer to seeing her family again.

"Robo-Dog, take us to Cape Catfish, please." And, with Ryder's command, they were off. Amber felt herself being pushed back slightly into her seat as the Air Patroller climbed into the sky. Everyone gleefully howled and gave shouts of excitement. After a short while, everything returned to its parallel position to the ground and Amber felt a little more at ease now that they seemed to be gliding more smoothly through the air. All that surrounded them was the bright blue sky.

As soon as the pups, save Everest and Amber, had entered the Air Patroller, they had changed into their flight suits and jet packs. For most of the ride up north, the pups took turns describing the equipment that each pup had. It was amazing to her.

"So, basically, you guys get to fly around just like Apollo the Super-Pup?" Amber asked with an ecstatic smile.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome actually," Rubble answered with the same enthusiasm. "You watch Apollo too?"

"Sometimes, when we used to go over my friend Blizzard's house, we would watch it on TV," Amber said. "I love superheroes! I'd always have to ask what was going on when there were really action-packed parts with not much talking, though."

"Yeah, I guess it would be kind of hard to follow," Rubble said trying to imagine what it would be like watching an episode blindfolded like how they had done the obstacle courses yesterday. "You're friend Blizzard sounds like a cool pup from what you told us. He's the Poodle pup, right?"

"Yeah, but don't let his cuddly looks deceive you. He's a nonstop pup who's always coming up with crazy games and ideas," Amber said giggling, "and I've never seen a pup who loves to dig so much. He gets so dirty and Rachel has to give him a bath so often, which he hates."

"He's kind of like you, Rubble," said Marshall in reference to the digging.

"Except I love baths! I think he and Rocky would get along great," laughed Rubble.

"There it is! Take us down Robo-Dog," Ryder said to the pilot. When the pups heard this, the conversation and laughter turned into cheering.

"I can't believe I'm back," Amber whispered to herself. It had been about four days since she had seen Blizzard last and almost been a week since her mom had been taken away that fateful morning. Moreover, her sisters had left her for their new homes long before that. To Amber, though, who had gone from not having any hope of seeing any of them again to being only a couple of hours away from reuniting, it felt like it had been an entire year, and she could hardly stand the wait. The flittering butterflies in her stomach twirled and flipped as the Air Patroller descended a bit and began to hover.

"Okay, pups, just like before. I'm going to give each of you a few flyers. I'll pull up the Cape Catfish map here on the Air Patroller's screen and give each of you directions on where to hang them up." As he spoke, Ryder pinpointed all the pet related areas in the small town. Cape Catfish was just a tad smaller in area than Adventure Bay, but was a bit more populated. One by one, little blips lit up on the screen indicating the targeted establishments and businesses. Ryder called each of the pups by name, showed them the places they were to fly to, and passed out the flyers that were already prepared with adhesive strips on the back. Even Everest, who very much wanted to help too, was carried down by Chase to work in the near by area close to the Air Patroller.

Amber sat in the back quietly observing, something she did quite a lot. She felt unworthy of such dedication to her cause. She was conscious of Ryder's advice about not belittling herself, but was it really necessary to make such a big deal about finding her a home? She started regretting asking Ryder to spread flyers around her hometown. If people saw that there were pups with jet packs putting up posters about her, they might think she was some super awesome prize-of-a-dog that she really didn't feel like. It was too late now, though. The first couple of pups had already jumped out and was zooming around town.

When the last of the pups had gone, Ryder sat in front of the screen monitoring each of them. He turned his head and saw Amber looking down at the floor and beckoned her over with a smile, "Hey, Amber. Come up here for a while. I want to show you something."

Amber timidly walked up to the front of the Air Patroller and sat between Robo-Dog and Ryder. She first stared at the screen and then looked up at Ryder with expectant eyes. "What is it, Ryder?"

"Pet shop and animal clinic all clear, Ryder, sir," came Chase's voice over the speaker starling Amber a little.

"Good work, Chase. Head on over to the dog park. It'll just be a couple streets south of where you are," Ryder said looking at the dot representing Chase on the map.

"Roger, Ryder. Chase out."

"How are you feeling Amber?" Ryder asked turning to the patiently waiting pup at his side.

The question caught her off guard for some reason. "I-I'm doing okay… How are you?"

Ryder chuckled. "I'm doing well, but what I meant was: How are you feeling about today?"

"Oh," giggled Amber, "I'm really excited about seeing everyone again. I'm sure they'll be so happy to know that I have a great team working to find me a new home. Although…" She turned back to the screen where several of the dots were moving around as the pups flew through the cape.

"What were you going to say?" asked Ryder who was left hanging on her last word.

"I just… am feeling a little… well… nervous, I guess," she finally forced out.

"Oh, I think I know what's going on," He said hoping she could see the comfort he was trying to give her through his smile.

"You do?" she said looking up at him only partly surprised. Ryder seemed to figure her out pretty well.

"Amber, everything will be fine. I am positive that out of the surely many families that call who are interested in you, the one you go home with is going to be the one you were meant to belong to all along," He said to her. She looked like she was about to object, but he put his hand on her shoulder and continued to speak. "And, I am even surer that you will be exactly the pup they are meant to have too."

Ryder always knew the right thing to say. Amber put on a small thankful smile, though there was a tiny speck in her that still felt unsure of it all. "What was the thing you wanted to show me?"

"How the Air Patroller works," he said plainly turning from the screen back to her.

"Oh," she said in astonishment. _I wonder what he's going to do._

"Robo-Dog, we're going to be switching captains for a minute. Stand by," Ryder said standing from his chair. When the small mechanical pup hopped off, Ryder looked at Amber. "Alright, Amber, you just have to climb into the seat and I can show you what the controls do."

"What?" Amber was completely taken aback. "Are you sure, Ryder?"

"Of course. Don't be scared. Robo-Dog and I will be standing right here the whole time. I won't make you do anything dangerous. I promise. Come on, not every pup gets a chance to do this."

"Um… okay…" Amber, with some assistance from Ryder, situated herself in the pilot's seat. She stared down hesitantly at the panel of controls.

Ryder took his time describing the control panel's layout section by section. Amber imprinted the information in her mind as he went along finding ways to make the different buttons and levers memorable. After Amber felt comfortable with the controls, he had her tilt the nose of the aircraft up and then down. Amber smiled nervously as she attempted the actions.

"Pet hospital and groomer's all clear, Ryder," rang Skye's peppy voice through the speakers. "I'm heading back to the Air Patroller."

"Alright, Skye. Looks like your heading in the right direction," Ryder answered turning for a moment away from Amber to look at Skye's dog on the screen.

"I'm all set too, Ryder," chimed in Marshall.

"I just finished too. The guide dog school is pretty neat," added Zuma.

"Great job, Marshall and Zuma! You two are pretty close to the cape's main street. Just follow it south," Ryder responded.

"Alright, Amber. Looks like the pups are going to be getting back soon. Sorry I had to cut the lesson short," Ryder said apologetically.

"That's okay. It was really cool to learn what I did," she said with an honest smile.

"Hey, maybe you can fly us to Mr. Sabello's house. What do you think?"

"Uh… Fly the Air Patroller? Like navigate this whole big thing while speeding through town?"

"Yeah. Want to give it a try?"

"Maybe another day," she said with a giggle. "I think I've sat in this seat enough for a while."

"That's alright," Ryder said also laughing. He assumed she would react that way. "I'm proud of you anyway. You did a good job remembering where the different controls were. How about you do one last thing."

"What's that?"

"Let's open the door for Skye, Marshall, and Zuma."

Amber pressed the button to open the door and the pups flew in.

"Hey Amber!" Skye said trotting over to the front of the jet. "Are you learning how to pilot the Air Patroller?"

"No, not really. Ryder was just showing me a few things," Amber said laughing as she climbed out of the seat and Robo-Dog hopped back in.

"Neat," said Zuma.

"Speaking of 'neat,' what were you saying about that guide dog school, Zuma?" asked Ryder.

"Oh, I just thought it was cool to see all those pups twraining. I wished I could have been able to stay a little longewr and see more of what they do," he answered seeming truly interested.

"What's a guide dog, Ryder?" asked Skye intrigued.

"Well, it's a dog that helps people with little vision walk around safely on their own," Ryder said.

"That's cool. So they have special jobs kind of like how we do," Marshall commented.

"Heading back to the Air Patroller, now," came Rocky's voice interrupting the conversation.

"Me too, Ryder, Sir. I've already found Everest and we're on my way," said Chase.

Within a few minutes, all the pups were back and getting into their seats. It was about 11:30. When all seatbelts were buckled, Ryder gave Robo-Dog the coordinates for Mr. Sabello's house and they were off again. After flying northeastward for a couple of minutes Ryder had Robo-Dog descend the Air Patroller and land in an empty lot by the side of Amber's old house. The pups removed their gear as Robo-Dog powered the mini jet down and opened the door.

"We're here," everyone cheered with yips and woofs. All the pups scampered down the ramp. Amber was the last one. She stood at the top and stared out to the familiar street and friendly houses.

"Are you ready?" asked Ryder softly placing his hand on her head.

"Ready," Amber said with a short sigh.

Ryder and Amber led the pups to the side of the house where the fence's door was. Mr. Sabello was already waiting for them.

"Oh my goodness," he exclaimed with a wide warm-hearted look. "It is really you, my little Amber. Come in! Come in!" He opened the gate and ushered everyone into the yard. Amber's heart nearly melted as she felt the familiar grass under her feet and picked up the scent she knew all too well. Then she turned and looked up at the man who had taken such good care of her family and her.

"H-hello," she said softly. Even though she had apologized over the phone, Amber still felt immensely guilty for judging him wrongly and thinking he only wanted to get rid of her.

"My beautiful little girl," he said bending forward with his hands on his knees, "come here."

Amber stepped forward slowly; when she finally reached him, he picked her up and embraced her. The two began to cry. All Amber could find the words to say was, "I'm sorry."

"No, I am the one who is sorry. You deserve better. That is why I asked Ryder to help you, remember. I know he will be able to do it."

"I shouldn't have run away. How could I ever think that you would do something to hurt me?"

"Don't fret any longer about that. You are safe now and I understand why you might have felt like that. We don't need to be sad anymore. Now is the time to be happy and celebrate! Come, I am sure I am not the only one who wants to give you a hug." He took her around to the back yard and set her down. Amber only found her footing for a second before…

"Amber!" yelled multiple pups at once before tackling her to the ground. Pearl, Gemma, and Goldie piled on top of their sister licking her and nuzzling her all over.

"Stop, that tickles. Ow, be careful," Amber said through laughter. "I can't breathe."

"We're so happy you're okay," said Pearl helping Amber to her feet and nuzzling her neck.

"Yeah, I couldn't stop wondering where you could be or what could be happening to you the whole time you were missing," added Gemma.

"I was ready to go out there and look for you myself," Goldie said remembering the anguish she had felt.

"I know. I'm so sorry I made you worry. I didn't mean to end up all the way in Adventure Bay," Amber apologized.

"I think it's so cool that you've been living with those pups. They sound amazing from what we read in the newspaper the day they found you," said Gemma looking over to where the pups were standing with Ryder talking with Mr. Sabello, Rachel, and Amber's mom.

"Yeah, they are a very special group of pups. We were in the newspaper?" Amber didn't expect her story to have spread so quickly.

"Oh yeah, those pups are always having stories in the newspaper in Adventure Bay, and since they found you, it was a pretty big deal over here where we were all so frantic looking for you," Pearl explained.

"Wow, I can't believe so many people cared so much," Amber said mostly to herself.

"Poor Blizzard took it the hardest of all. He thought it was all his fault that the garbage truck took you away. Rachel had to lock him in the house so he wouldn't run all the way to the pier when he heard a family had spotted you there," Goldie said with a sympathetic smile.

"Where is he," asked Amber realizing that she hadn't yet seen her fluffy white friend.

"He's sitting over there by Rachel. I think he thinks you might be mad at him or something," Gemma said turning Amber in the right direction. "Mom is over there to talking with that boy who brought you here."

"I'll be right back," Amber said without removing her eyes from the little white dog-shaped cloud that was in her sight."

"Okay but when you do, there is so much you have to tell us," Gemma said wagging her tail.

Amber made her way through the yard being mindful of the tree roots. She could tell, as she got closer, that Blizzard was peeking around from the other side of Rachel's legs. "Oh look. Here she comes Blizzard," she could hear Rachel saying.

Blizzard slowly walked toward Amber with his head low. "Hey, Amber" he muttered.

As soon as she was close enough, Amber lifted Blizzard's head up with her muzzle and hugged him as tight as she could, "I missed you so much, Blizzard."

"What? Don't you want to yell at me or something?" he choked in surprise.

"No way. What I want to do right now is hug you," she said with a giggle.

"But I-"

"You didn't do anything but be my friend," Amber said releasing him. "I was the one who made the wrong choice of running away and thinking that my owner would do something that would end in me getting hurt. I made you believe that and that's why everything happened the way it did. Please don't think it was your fault. I can't stand to see you beat yourself up about it. You've done way too much because of me, already."

By now, the two pups were in tears. This time, it was Blizzard that came in for a hug. "Amber, I didn't know what to do with myself when I didn't see the box outside that morning. And when I heard that they had found you at the pier? I got in so much trouble when I tried to run out of the house to get to you, but I didn't care. I was so mad that I couldn't go, and then you went missing again!"

"I know. It's a really long story. I made some bad choices. But, thank goodness I ended up with the PAW Patrol," Amber said wiping away tears. "They've been a great help, and not just in finding me a new home."

"Yeah, I almost couldn't believe it when I heard you were living at their headquarters. They're like-"

"Superheroes," the two pups said together ending in a short spurt of laughter.

The PAW Patrol pups, who had given Amber some space so she could catch up with Blizzard and her sisters, were standing by Ryder. He had introduced each of them to Amber's mother and the two humans. Now, Amber's mother was going around giving each of the pups a thankful hug for sticking by Amber and bringing her back safe and sound.

"What was your name again, young man?' Amber's mom asked as she was nearing the end of the line of pups.

"Chase, ma'am," replied Chase giving a little bow.

"What a polite little pup," she said with a motherly smile. Her compliment made Chase give a shy smile.

"Aw," he giggled as she gave Chase a tender lick on the top of his head. The other pups found themselves holding back snickers.

"And you are the aquatic rescuer," she said moving on to Zuma.

"That's wright. I'm Zuma," he said looking up at her with his golden eyes.

"Ah, so you were one of the pups who rescued Amber when she was out on the water," she said giving him a very grateful look.

"Well, no. That was Cap'n Tuwrbot who got her onto his boat. I… I only rescued hewr teddy beawr," he said slightly embarrassed in admitting what little work he did on that mission.

She came close and rested her head on top of his. She nuzzled him and said warmly, "That was a very kind thing of you to do. I bet no one else could have done a better job. You've done more than you think. I'm sure of it. Just look at how happy my little Amber is. I haven't seen her smile like that in quite a while. And you are Marshall?" she said turning to the Dalmatian.

"Yup, I'm the team's fire-pup and EMT," Marshall said with a mature smile.

"Oh, what a professional pup," she complimented. "No wonder my Amber has healed so nicely. Ryder told me you did a great job at keeping those bandages clean. Now is was Marshall's turn to be embarrassed.

"Well… um… I guess," he said as he fiddled with his paws. When Amber's mom gave him a hug, he had his paws in such a tangle that he stumbled and fell to his side when she let go. Everyone gave a laugh as Marshall quickly said, "I'm okay."

"Well, now that we are done with introductions, how about we get started on lunch," Mr. Sabello said cheerfully. "I've grilled up some liver sausages for the dogs and good old hot dogs for us non-canines."

Everyone excitedly galloped over to a picnic blanket that had been set up where Amber's old doghouse used to be. It was a full blanket with twelve pups, Amber's mom, Mr. Sabello, Rachel, and Ryder. Mouths watered as Mr. Sabello brought the food over from the grill and Rachel helped serve it on everyone's plates.

"This is the best liver sausage ever!" exclaimed Everest getting approving nods from the pups.

"The hotdogs are very good too, Mr. Sabello," Ryder after finishing his first bite.

"Thank you very much. I am glad you are enjoying your meal. Make sure to leave room for a special snack our lovely Rachel has prepared," he said getting wide-eyed, happy expressions from the pups.

"Oh, thank you for reminding me. I'll go get it from the fridge," Rachel said as she got up and head toward the house. She came back out shortly with a covered tray in her hand. She set it down in the center of the blanket and revealed a platter of diced watermelon. "I made sure there were no bits of rind or seeds to keep it safe for the pups."

"Alright! Watermelon! Perfect for a summer day!" exclaimed Blizzard excitedly.

"You said it!" agreed Everest.

Rachel served each pup a few small cubes after letting Ryder and Mr. Sabello put some on their plates. After lunch and a good drink of water, all the pups played Red Light Green Light and then had a competition to see which pup could jump the farthest. Pearl, Gemma, Goldie, and Blizzard asked Amber and the PAW Patrol question after question and had them tell the story of Amber's rescue and the events that followed. The sun seemed to move through the sky almost as fast as Blizzard devoured his serving of watermelon. The pups were having so much fun playing and talking that Ryder had to whistle to get everyone's attention for Mr. Sabello who had been trying desperately for several minutes.

"Thank you Ryder, my boy. It's like having all my grandchildren over on Thanksgiving," he chuckled and then turned to the quietly attentive pups. "It is almost dinner time and, if everyone agrees, the lovely and talented Rachel has offered to drive us there in our generous neighbor David's van. I believe it is the only vehicle we have that can fit all of us. So, if you would like to go… well... give a bark."

The dozen pups gave very enthusiastic barks as did Amber's mom.

"That's a _woof_ from me too, Mr. Sabello," laughed Rachel.

"And me," added Ryder after chuckling.

"Then it is settled. We go to the beach!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Sundown**

David, the neighbor who let Rachel and Mr. Sabello borrow his van, actually worked for the Cape Catfish guide dog school. His van was one of the few vans that the school used on occasion to transport the dogs on field trips. Today, there weren't going to be any outings for the guide dogs in training, so David happily agreed to lend the van out. Plus, he owed Rachel a favor for giving Blizzard's grandmother to the school's breeding program years ago when she wasn't yet a grandmother. That's a story for another time.

The van was equipped to carry about 20 passengers, dog or human. Although the more usual passengers were pups, the van was kept very clean prompting Rachel to give a quick checklist of cleanliness rules to the pups once they got on. The pups of the PAW Patrol were very polite about it and Amber's family was also very careful and considerate. Rachel still found it necessary to advise the pups about their comportment and actions more for her own dog Blizzard's sake. As embarrassing as it was for her to admit it, he was probably the most rambunctious of the group and could never be reminded enough to behave. Surprisingly, the entire ride to the Cape Catfish pier, Blizzard behaved just as well as the other pups. Rachel assumed that it was the company he was in that kept him at his best. Who wouldn't want to look good in front of a team of professional pups?

Although it was summer, the beach never got too crowded on Tuesday evenings. Beside a couple of small groups walking along the boardwalk and visiting the shops, Amber and her friends basically had the whole beach to themselves. The few stragglers on the beach stopped and stared as the bunch of pups jumped out of the van and ran across the sand. It wasn't that they weren't used to seeing a multitude of pups appear in random places around town. The pups at the guide dog school were kind of like celebrities around the cape. They just couldn't help being distracted by a group of adorable pups playing at the shore.

"Surf's up, dudes!" shouted Zuma as he ran toward the water with a boogie board.

"Ooo! Do you want to go in the water, Amber?" asked Pearl. Out of all the Golden Retriever pups, she loved swimming the most.

"Maybe…" Amber responded staring toward the foamy waves. The only pleasurable swimming she had ever done was when they had learned to swim in their own back yard. When it came to the beach, well, her only memory wasn't the best one. She could still feel some of the bruises she got the day she was sent afloat wrapped up in that old lifejacket. "It's not too deep, is it?"

"Oh no, not on this end of the beach. The water stays pretty shallow for a good stretch. The deeper water is by the… pier." Pearl than put it together.

"If you want to go in the water, I'll go with you… as long as we don't go too far out at first. I'm not scared or anything… I just want to get comfortable first," Amber explained. She knew that the water wasn't that terrifying. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to go back into the ocean yet.

"Well, only if you feel okay with it," Pearl said compassionately.

"Yeah, let's go. The water looks really nice," Amber said trying to get herself to feel better about going. "Plus, I'm going to be living at the Lookout now. It's only a short walk from the beach."

"Really? That's awesome! Ooo, we better grab a boogie board before they're all taken," Pearl said looking at the sole remaining board that lay by the cooler and towels that had been laid out by the humans. "We can share it. That way I'll be next to you the whole time."

The two pups picked up the boogie board and walked toward padded through the sugary sand. Amber paused a moment when she felt the sand become more squishy and the pads of her paws could feel the lukewarm remnants of the waves. She looked out into the water and could see at least four pups were out there splashing around and laughing. With a determined sigh, she pushed forward. Pearl set the board on top of the unsteady surface of the water and motioned for Amber to lean on the board with her front paws just as she was doing. They kicked with their hind legs and propelled forward.

"See, it's not so bad, and the water is so clear, I bet even you can see what's on the bottom. There's nothing but shallow water and soft sand," said Pearl with a comforting smile.

Amber smiled back and kept kicking. She was happy beyond words to be having such a wonderful time with her sisters and friends, just relaxing and not worrying about how "normal" she had act or about not being enough for someone. It was just the sand, the surf, and the people she loved.

"Oh, look, it's Pearl and Amber! Hi guys!" called out Skye. "We're about to play Sharks and Merpups. Wanna play?"

"Ooo, I love that game! Who's the shark?" asked Pearl with an excited grin.

"I am!" shouted Zuma popping out of the water from behind Pearl and Amber. The two pups screamed and then erupted into laughter. Zuma pushed over his boogie board and offered it to Pearl. "Hewre. You can use mine since I'm going to be going under the watewr. That way you and Ambewr don't have to shawre."

"Oh, thanks," Pearl said climbing onto the other board. Amber looked at her with questioning eyes. "Don't worry, sis. I promise I'll stay right next to you."

"Are we ready to start now?" asked Chase.

"Ready," came the unanimous reply.

"Alright, there will only be tapping, no tackling, by the sharks. Once a shark taps you, you automatically become a shark and the merpups take your board. Oh, and don't swim out to far. Okay merpups spread out!" Only a split second passed before Skye, Gemma, Marshall, Amber, and Pearl all took Chase's command and swam in opposite directions away from Zuma.

It wasn't as easy as Zuma thought to catch a pup right away. There were some pretty good swimmers in the group. The three Golden Retriever pups were trying to stay close by each other. This made them an easy target and Zuma's first goal. After a couple of tries, he eventually caught Gemma. With her on his side now, the sharks became a little more intimidating. Within another few minutes, Gemma caught Skye and Zuma caught Marshall who was struggling with two boogie boards. Now each of the remaining pups had to hold two boards while being hounded by four sharks. Marshall and Zuma teamed up against Chase, while Gemma and Skye went for Pearl and Amber. By trying to protect Amber, Pearl was tagged and ended up with the sharks. Amber's eyes darted around searching for Chase. She spotted him just as her sisters and Skye were inches from her tail.

"Amber! Go to the right! Don't come to me!" Chase yelled at the same time he was frantically looking for a way to avoid Marshal and Zuma. As much as Amber didn't want to be headed away from her only hope of surviving, she obeyed. She turned toward the shore and kicked as fast as her legs could manage. She was startled when she heard an, " _Agh!"_ She turned to see the three boards Chase had been guarding were unmanned.

"Alwright, Ambewr! You totally won!" Zuma congratulated from her right.

"Really?" she asked almost not able to believe it.

"Yeah, they caught me, so you were the last merpup," Chase explained swimming up to her along with the others.

"Oh, cool! But, I feel like the only reason some of you got caught was because you were protecting me," she said with a frown.

"Well, I guess that's true for a couple of us, but you were still a pretty fast swimmer," Pearl pointed out.

"Who wants to play again?" asked Skye gripping one of the unclaimed boards.

"I do!" exclaimed everyone except for Amber.

"I think I'm going to go see what the other pups are doing? Um… could one of you guys take me to them really quick?" she asked putting on a smile. She wanted to give the pups an actually fair chance to play Sharks and Merpups and the best way to do that was with her not playing. That kind of game wasn't her favorite anyway, although she did have fun. Games that involved having to keep an eye on someone who was chasing you weren't her forte.

"I'll show you where they are," said Gemma. "Be right back, pups."

The two swam to the shore with their boards and set them down in the sand. Amber could hear Goldie and the others talking somewhere down left. They turned in that direction and walked until Amber was able to spot the pups.

"You can go back now. I've got it from here," Amber told her sister as she gestured in the direction of the pups that were laughing and splashing in the water.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, hurry up. They're waiting for you, remember?"

"Okay. See you in a bit." The two exchanged a smile and wave and went on their separate ways.

"Hey, Amber!" Everest greeted as Amber got closer to the smaller group of pups that had stayed out of the water. "You came just in time to help us. We're going to make a tunnel through the sand. Rubble and Blizzard already started digging."

Amber walked up to Goldie and Everest who were standing at the edge of a moderately large ditch the two pups had started to make.

"Hey, guys! Amber came to help!" Goldie called down to the busy pair.

"Great!" Blizzard exclaimed standing on his hind legs so that his head was above the sand. "You guys can start smoothing out the edge of this hole and digging out the other end of the tunnel right over… there."

"Got it," said Everest.

"I'll even out the sand on this end," suggested Amber.

"And I can keep things sturdy on your end while you and Rocky dig, Everest," chimed in Goldie.

"Great! Sounds like a plan," Everest said with a determined smile.

The four set to work and minutes later the two ends of the tunnel met. Blizzard finished the connection between the two ends and hopped out the other side shaking sand vigorously out of his curly fur.

"Awesome!" Rubble shouted after crawling out Amber's end.

"We did a great job pups! I can't wait to show this to the others," Everest said excitedly.

"Pups! Time for dinner!" Ryder called from underneath the big umbrella Rachel had set up. The distance between the sun and the water had shrunk noticeably from the time they had all walked onto the beach. The cloudless sky was now beginning to be dotted with gray splotches.

"Mmm," Rubble and Blizzard said licking their lips at the same time followed by a giggle from both.

"Last one there is a rotten banana!" shouted Blizzard before dashing off in the direction of the food. He was shortly followed by Everest, Rubble, and Rocky.

"Come on! Let's run!" Goldie urged Amber as the howling of the pups got further and further away.

"Are there any holes or stuff on the ground on the way over there?" asked Amber cautiously.

"Nope, the sand's a little lumpy, but that's it. Wanna go for it?"

"Okay," Amber said before taking her place at Goldie's side and heading off at a brisk jog. The two girls giggled as they plowed through the powdery sand. Amber made sure to stay right behind Goldie the whole while. She never could be too sure of how fast she was running and didn't want to end up bulldozing into anyone, or worse, the food. Everyone was gathered and waiting with tongues hanging out of their mouths within a matter of seconds.

"There are a couple of spots by Chase and Rocky," Amber could hear one of the pups call as Goldie and her reached the edge of one of the beach towels. While Amber stopped to smile in the direction of the helpful hinter, Goldie had started toward the suggested spot. When Amber looked to her side for Goldie, her sister had already made it to her spot on the towel. Amber walked tentatively around the circle trying to find a golden pup seated between a gray and a brown one. She had no idea in which direction Goldie had gone. Amber came to a hesitant stop when she thought she found the spot. It didn't look like there was enough room for her. Skye noticed the confused look on Amber's face from across the circle.

"Keep coming around Amber. There isn't much space between Zuma and Gemma, but there's an open spot for you right over here," Skye said standing up to walk over to Amber and help her to her seat. Some of the other pups murmured as they realized too late that Amber hadn't been able to see where Chase or Rocky were sitting.

"Oh," Amber said with a nervous laugh. She could feel her face getting hot, and it wasn't because of the sun hitting it. Skye came over to her and the two pups walked over to where Goldie was sitting.

"Who's hungry?" asked Rachel as Skye returned to her own seat. Amber was grateful for Rachel's obliviousness to what had just happened. Though, from anyone else's point of view, it wasn't anything to fuss over, Amber tremendously disliked doing things that made her look foolish, at least from her perspective. Amber, although she had learned that there did exist people who understood what it meant to be a pup with bad eyes, it was hard for her to stop chastising herself for doing things that made her stick out or look funny.

"Me!" yelled everyone simultaneously.

Ryder opened the cooler and, together with Rachel and Mr. Sabello, served each of the pups a bowl of kibble. The pups were so hungry from playing so hard at the beach that their bowls were empty before Ryder and the other humans were finished serving their own food. After a big helping of water, the pups were ready to scamper back out onto the sun-bathed beach.

"Hey pups, before you all go, I have a special treat planned," Ryder said getting all the pups to turn their heads and face him.

"What is it, Ryder?" asked Chase.

"You'll see. Actually, if you look over that way, it should be approaching the pier right about… now."

Just as Ryder said that, a ship could be seen passing the end of the pier and slowly heading up toward the stretch of beach. It was the Flounder! Although the PAW Patrol pups were always up for a nice boat ride, they had been on Cap'n Turbot's boat plenty of times. Why did Ryder make it seem like it would be something that they hadn't done before? For one thing, the Cape Catfish pups were more ecstatic than the pups from Adventure Bay at first. But, then, Chase and the other pups could see that the Flounder was tugging something behind it. From far, it looked like a giant inner tube.

"What is that Wrydewr?" asked Zuma looking up at him with wide eyes.

"It's a special raft. Cap'n Turbot is going to take us out on it, and while we're out there, we can get a nicer view of the sunset; he couldn't have come at a better time. It looks like the sun will be going down soon," Ryder said looking at the sinking sun with one hand shading his eyes.

"Really? Cool!" Rubble rejoiced.

Everyone rushed to the edge of the water as the Flounder came as close at it could to the shore. When the boat stopped, Rachel and Ryder grabbed hold of the cumbersome raft to pull it into the shallow water.

"Ahoy, Ryder! Ahoy, everyone!" Cap'n Turbot called from the helm.

"Ahoy, Cap'n Turbot! I'm glad you could make it!" Ryder called back.

"Me too. Looks like we've got quite a number of nautical novices in our midst," remarked the Captain.

"Yeah, we can introduce everyone as soon as you're down."

Cap'n Turbot came down to meet the group. While he sloshed his way to the sand, Ryder explained that this was the Captain who found Amber floating, unconscious in the middle of the sea.

"I am so pleased I could meet you in person Captain. This way I could thank you properly for saving our little Amber," Mr. Sabello said extending his hand to shake Cap'n Turbot's.

"Think nothing of it. I am happy to finally meet Amber's family and friends," he replied clasping Mr. Sabello's hand and shaking it. "Captain Horatio Turbot at your service."

"It's very nice to meet you Captain," Rachel said approaching. "I'm Rachel and this is my pup Blizzard. We live… well, lived next door to Amber and her mom and sisters."

"Are you a pirate?" asked Blizzard prancing up and looking at the Captain with awestricken eyes.

"Blizzard!" Rachel reprimanded.

"I'm not that particular type of captain my perky poodle pal," answered the Captain with a chuckle. "However, as a marine biologist, I do enjoy engaging in oceanic exploration."

"Do you always make all your words start with the same letter?" Blizzard asked after giggling at the Captain's persistent alliteration.

"Blizzard, be polite! I'm sorry Cap'n Turbot. Blizzard doesn't always think before he talks," Rachel apologized giving an embarrassed smile to the overcalled man and a stern look to Blizzard.

"Oh, that's quite alright," he said with a look of understanding. He turned to Amber's mother and sisters. "I am positive that this pack of pups is related to Amber. They've got the same gorgeous golden glow."

"Yes, Captain. I'm Glimmer and these are my daughters Goldie, Gemma, and Pearl," Amber's mother announced politely. "Thank you again for your great help in rescuing Amber. How can I ever repay you?"

"You are most welcome. It was nothing really," he said sincerely. Cap'n Turbot turned from Glimmer to the rest of the pups patiently waiting "Now, before we miss the sunset, how about we load up the raft?"

"How… wet do you think I'll get if I ride on that thing?" asked Rocky eyeing the raft with an untrusting look.

"You shouldn't get to soaked if you sit close to the center," Cap'n Turbot suggested.

"Okay… I guess I'll get on," Rocky said slowly, still not sure.

"How about all the pups go on the raft and the rest of us ride on the Flounder with Cap'n Turbot?" Ryder offered.

"That's sounds like a good idea, my boy," affirmed Mr. Sabello. Everyone agreed. All the pups splashed over to the raft and climbed in. Ryder carried Rocky over per his request. Last came Glimmer who suggested she ride with the pups to make sure everyone stayed safe. Pretty soon, the boat started off slowly turning westward toward the horizon.

"I'm not going to go too far out. There are some pretty heavy clouds meandering in our direction," Cap'n Turbot said looking solemnly in the direction of a stretch of dark clouds creeping toward Cape Catfish from the East.

"You're Cap'n Turbot," Ryder said mirroring the same expression as he looked out over the railing. "It looks like the rain will be getting here earlier than we thought."

"Let's hope the rain will at least let us enjoy the beautiful sunset we are getting today. Just look at those colors," commented Rachel with a serene smile on her face.

"Oh yes, simply marvelous," chimed in Mr. Sabello.

Ryder walked down to the stern of the ship where he could see all the pups and Glimmer on the raft. It made him smile to see Amber and everyone else having a good time. "Hey pups! How's the ride?"

"It's totally awesome!" Zuma bubbled out.

"Look over there!" Rubble gasped. A dolphin had emerged a few yards away and was swimming alongside the boat and the raft from a distance. Everyone watched as the dolphin would disappear under the water and pup back up again.

"What is it, Mom?" Amber asked her mother in curiosity. All she could make out were the dark blue ripples of the waves.

"The pups spotted a dolphin," Glimmer said with delight.

'Where is it?" asked Amber more doubtful than anything that she would actually be able to see it.

"Let's see… Okay. Look a little to the left of where the sun is going down, straight across from where Pearl is sitting."

Amber found Pearl and squinted in the direction that her mom had told her. Nothing. The dolphin either must have been too far away or was blending into the waves too well for Amber to see. She gave a small huff in frustration. It's not as if she thought she would be able to see it anyway.

"Did you get to see the dolphin, Amber?" asked Gemma turning around to face her sister. A big amused smile was beaming on her face.

"No, I couldn't find it," Amber answered with a small forced smile. She didn't want her sister to feel bad for her. "I'm sure I'll get to see one another time, though."

"Yeah, especially living by the bay," Gemma said. "I bet there are tons of dolphins there. Right, Zuma?"

"Well not tons, but we do get to see a few. And, there are some othewr sea cwreatuwres too. Cap'n Tuwrbot has a walwrus fwriend named Wally who we get to see once in a while," answered Zuma.

"Oh, really? I didn't know that," Amber said in astonishment.

"Yeah! We have to make suwre you meet him, Amber."

"I'm so jealous, Amber. I wish my new family lived in Adventure Bay. It would be so fun doing stuff with the PAW Patrol like playing with walruses and watching the pups save people and- Woah!" In her excitement, Gemma had been making very animated gestures and had slipped on a bit of water that had entered the raft. If it weren't for Chase's quick response, Gemma would have ended up over board.

"Oh, Gemma. If you lived in Adventure Bay, the one the pups would have to save all the time would be you," Pearl said with a giggle. Everyone else joined in laughing.

"Hey, everyone! Look up here!" Ryder was holding out his pup pad ready to take a picture. "Say cheese!"

Ryder took a couple of pictures of the pups and then took some of the sunset.

"Sorry for stopping the ride so short, Ryder, but I think we should start heading back to shore," Cap'n Turbot said putting a hand on Ryder's shoulder as he snapped one last picture of the vibrant setting sun.

"Okay, I'll go tell the pups." Ryder returned to the stern and called out to the pups who were listening to Zuma tell of the time they had to save a little dolphin pup. "Sorry we didn't get to spend more time on the water, pups, but they rain is getting close and we're going to have to turn around and head back to the beach now so we can clean everything up before it gets here."

All the pups responded with disappointed sighs but they agreed and understood. Glimmer looked worriedly at the now bigger mass of clouds that was approaching. She hoped the PAW Patrol would be able to make it back safely.

At the shore, all passengers quickly unloaded and said farewell to Cap'n Turbot. Then, they set to work on packing up all the stuff they had brought. By this time, the only people on the beach were those who were closing up their shops on the boardwalk and them. The faint rumbling of thunder could be heard coming from the direction of the town. They all did their best to move as fast as they could.

With the light from the sun fading as it retired for the night, Amber was already having to strain her eyes a bit to be able to see. She picked up a boogie board and stood to the side as she let the other pups finish up. Once there was nothing left, Amber would find the nearest pup and walk with them to the van. She could see that some pups were already headed back to the parking lot. Ryder and Rachel had led the bunch sharing the weight of the cooler between them. The wind had started to blow a little harder now and was getting sand in Amber's eyes. She tried turning away and wiping the sand away. Once she could open her eyes again, she searched for any of the remaining pups. She spotted Marshall scrambling to retrieve a bucket of shells Rachel had collected and the last boogie board.

"Wait for me!" he called to the pups ahead of him. He couldn't be last again.

Amber looked around to make sure there was no one else closer to follow then she opened her mouth to call to Marshall. A strong gust of wind picked up a cloud of sand and blew it straight into Amber's face halting her cry. She spat the sand out of her mouth and shook the rest off of her head. She was going to miss her chance for sure.

"Huh?" Marshall heard something like coughing coming from behind him. He turned to look and saw Amber struggling to remove sand from her face. "Amber? I didn't know you were still here. I would have gotten on the van without you."

"Yeah… I was just kind of… waiting until everyone was done…" she said between gags on sand.

Back on the van, things were being piled up hastily. The focus was to get back to Mr. Sabello's house as soon as possible so that the PAW Patrol could take the Air Patroller back home while it was still easy to fly. Everyone was so frantic about the incoming storm that they hadn't noticed they were two pups short. Because of the disorganization in the van, a few more seats had been used to hold things giving the van a full feel. Moreover, with all of the yipping and whimpering, if felt like there could have been more than twelve pups aboard, so Rachel shut the doors and started to drive out of the parking lot.

Marshall and Amber worked against the wind toward the narrow pathway that led out of the beach. They were surprised when they heard the engine of the van accelerating and watched the headlights pass by them.

"Was that our van?" asked Amber hoping her eyes were just playing tricks on her.

"Um... I think so," Marshall said bewildered. "I wonder why they're moving the van."

The pups heard the sound of the engine dissipate. They gave each other puzzled looks and Amber started to feel that panicky feeling in her heart.

"I'll just call Ryder to see what's up. Come on. Let's go sit by the bench over there." Marshall led Amber to one of the benches near the boardwalk that had a good view of the street. The van was nowhere in sight. "Come in, Ryder."

Ryder almost didn't hear Marshall's call over the commotion on the van. He was perplexed as to why Marshall would be calling him on his pup pad if he was… not on the bus! "Marshall?"

"Hey, Ryder. Um… I think the van forgot a couple of passengers," Marshall said with a half-smile. "Amber and I are still at the beach."

"Amber's with you? Hang on Marshall. I'll get Rachel to turn us around. Stay where you are." Ryder ended the call.

"Was that… Marshall?" asked Chase starting to get an uneasy feeling.

"Yeah. Somehow, we left him and Amber back at the beach… Rachel, how soon can you make a U-turn?"

"At the next light. Why Ryder?" she gave him a puzzled look through the rear view mirror.

"We left something at the beach… better put, Marshall and Amber."

"Oh no!" she gasped. "I'll head back right away."

Now a little nervous, Amber shivered in the wind. This was her fault. If she could just be able to walk around by herself, she could have just gotten on the van without having to bother any of the pups. She wondered if none of the pups came to walk with her to the van because they found it an annoyance to have to be watching out for her. They were probably hoping someone else would do it. If it weren't for her coughing on sand, Marshall wouldn't have even noticed her. She tried to shake the thought away. The pups hadn't pretended to be her friend only because they thought it was the nice thing to do, did they?

"Hey, Amber. Are you okay?" Marshall asked. Amber hadn't noticed the angry tears that had been forming in her eyes.

"Huh? Oh… yeah. I'm okay. I just still have sand in my eyes," she said quickly looking away and giving a fake laugh.

"I'm sorry no one came to get you. I guess they were just too distracted by the storm and making sure everything got into the van," Marshall said looking down the street for signs of the Cape Catfish Guide Dogs van.

"That's okay," Amber said trying to sound sincerely forgiving. She still felt a little hurt, but she didn't want to seem selfish. Just because she need extra help sometimes, didn't mean that everyone had to be paying attention to her. Amber looked out at the streetlights and all the multicolored lights that hung in the shop windows of the boardwalk. Some shops had already closed. Amber was thankful that there at least was a light above their bench. It was enough that a big thunderstorm was heading their way and they weren't in a very populated area. She didn't want to have to wait in the dark too.

Every now and then cars would slip by, but other than that, the strip of road by the pier was quiet. Marshall saw a pair of headlights approaching from inside the parking lot. Were there still people who hadn't left the beach? The car slowed as it neared the bench. There were two people in the small gray car, but Marshall couldn't tell much more than that. The passenger door swung open and a tall man stepped out. He was well groomed and wore a pleasant expression, but there was something about him that gave Marshall the creeps.

"Hello there," the man said sweetly. "What are a pair of pups like you doing out here on your own? Don't you know there's a terrible storm coming?"

"We're actually waiting for someone," Marshall replied uneasily.

"Oh, I see," the man said in mock understanding. He looked down at Marshall's pup tag and studied it.

"Marshall?" came Ryder's voice from the small speaker on his tag.

"Come in Ryder," Marshall uttered. The man would not stop staring at them.

"We'll be getting to you soon. We're turning down the road that leads to the pier right now."

"Interesting… So you can talk to this Ryder person through your nifty tag there?" the stranger said squatting down to Marshall's level. Amber took a small step backward. This man was making her fur stand up.

"Um… Is there something we can help you with, Sir," Marshall asked trying not to let the man hear his voice tremble.

"Oh, well, come to think of it, yes. But first…" with one swipe, the man removed Marshall's collar and flung it into the street. "There. We can't have your friend know what that favor is, now can we?"

"My collar!" exclaimed Marshall, but before he could think to do anything, his attention was taken by a scream from Amber. The other person who had been driving the car had stepped out and was now carrying a struggling Amber to the open trunk. "Amber!"

Marshall lunged toward Amber's captor, but was stopped mid jump by the tall man who grabbed him by the hind legs. Marshall was then lifted in the air, front legs flailing. The man, irritated by Marshall's petty attempts to escape, tossed him into the trunk alongside Amber. Marshall's head was the first to make it in. The force of the blow rendered him unconscious and left him to lay limp at Amber's side. The who had taken Amber had locked her in a small crate debilitating her from helping Marshall or herself. The trunk of the car was shut leaving them in total darkness. Amber's heart dropped as fast as the car sped away.

"Woah!" Rachel said swerving the van a bit to avoid a speeding gray car that was driving to close to the middle of the road. "Crazy driver! I know no one wants to get caught in a storm but there's no need to get into an accident."

"Watch out, my dear. There's something in the road over there," Said Mr. Sabello from the passenger's seat.

"Does anyone see the pups?" asked Ryder anxiously looking out the window while the car jolted to a stop.

No one could see them. Rachel parked to the side of the road and let Ryder and the pups out to search.

"Ryder!" Chase called urgently as he stared at the object that lay in front of the van. "It's Marshall's collar and pup tag!"

"What?" Ryder asked in alarm. "Why is it in the middle of the road like that?"

"Ryder, look. The boogie boards and bucket of shells were just left here," said Everest with a frown.

"Where could they have gone?" Ryder wondered aloud.

Everyone started calling out Marshall and Amber's names, but the only response they got was the ever-strengthening boom of the thunder.

"Chase, do you think you can get a scent?" asked Ryder now very concerned.

Chased sniffed around the bench where the bucket and boards lay. He froze when he picked up another scent that was just as fresh as the two pups'. Chase followed the smell a short distance toward the exit of the parking lot. His face became distraught.

"What is it Chase?" asked Ryder slowly.

"Ryder, Sir, I don't think Marshall and Amber are on the beach anymore."

"Well, then where are they Chase, honey?" asked Glimmer troubled by his words.

"I-I'm not sure but from what it looks like, I think someone took them away in their car," He answered wishing with all his heart that it wasn't so.

"You mean they were… pupnapped?" asked Skye wearing a fretful expression.

"Let's hope not, but without a way to track them, we need to think fast," Ryder said. "Everyone, get back into the van. You need to get home before it starts to rain."

"What do you mean, 'you,' Ryder?" asked Glimmer. "We can't leave you and the pups out here."

"Don't worry about the pups and I," Ryder said pulling out his pup pad. "Robo-Dog, bring in the Air Patroller!"

END OF THE LITTLE PUP THAT COULD - BOOK 1: THE ENDURANCE OF HOPE

 _Please continue to the next page for a special note from me ;)_


	13. Important Letter from the Author

PLEASE READ THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH. THANK YOU!

My Dear Reader,

As always, I find myself very thankful for your support of my first fan fiction. Thank you for sticking to the end! It means a lot to me to have such loyal readers like you! Thanks especially to those who have followed and favorited my story and I and who have taken the time to write reviews! This story, especially the character Amber, is very close to my heart, and I really am overjoyed that you have decided to make reading this story one of your leisurely activities.

If you have come this far, please do me the honor of reviewing this story. I will even be satisfied with a simple *thumbs up* or *thumbs down*. Any comment is greatly appreciated.

If you have the time, I do have a few questions for you:

What did you enjoy?

What do you think I did well? Not so well?

What would you like to see more of? Less of?

There will be two more stories in my series featuring Amber as the main character. So, what would you like to see in the next books?

Are there any friendships you would like to see strengthen?

Thank you again for reading and I hope to hear from you very soon!

Yours,

Kristelrose :)

P.S. If you would like to know what happens to Amber and the PAW Patrol, you can read about it in "The Little Pup That Could - Book 2: The Strength of Friendship"


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